Kevynne Aleman
03/22/2023
COURTESY PHOTO BY: DANIEL ELIZONDO
On Tuesday March 21, the UTRGV Vaqueros pulled off a strong win for the season defeating the UTSA Roadrunners at the UTRGV Baseball Stadium with the final score of 5-3.
UTRGV scored three runs in the bottom of the second inning by junior outfielder Adrian Torres, sophomore infielder Erik Martinez, and junior infielder Kade York.
At the bottom of the fourth inning, sophomore infielder Isaac Lopez brought in two more RBIs allowing Martinez and York to score. York acknowledges the strategy for him to get on base leading up to the RBI.
“I was trying to bound for a hit, with two strikes. Let our lead-off hitter hit, and then I just got a fastball down the middle and put it in the right spot, right time. I was just trying to put a good swing on it,” York said.
At the top of the fifth inning, there was a change in momentum in the game after UTSA put up two home runs for their team. This put UTRGV in a position to finish the game strong.
Senior Alex Verdugo started pitching in the sixth inning, gaining six strikeouts and one run in the two innings he pitched. Verdugo looked back on how he was able to contain the lead for UTRGV.
“Me and Ryan were working fastballs away on righties, and fastballs in on lefties, especially on 0-2 counts. They couldn’t catch up to the fastball so we just kept pounding that inside,” Verdugo said.
The Vaqueros were coming off a loss the previous weekend and were in need of that win. Coach Derek Matlock stressed how important the win was against a strong competitor like UTSA.
“We needed that win against a top program and that team is as good as any team in the country right now, and that just shows if we play clean baseball what this ball club can do,” Matlock said.
The Vaqueroes will take on the Texas State Bobcats at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday March 28 at the UTRGV Edinburg baseball stadium.
For more information please visit goutrgv.com.
This is Kevynne Aleman with Vaquero Radio.
