The UTRGV baseball team beat the Rhode Island (URI) Rams 15-1 to earn a 2-1 series victory on Monday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.
In his first start in three years, senior Zach Tjelmeland (1-0) pitched a career-high 4.2 innings of one-run ball, striking out a career-high seven while scattering four singles. He didn’t walk anybody while throwing 50 of his 65 pitches (76.9%) for strikes.
The bullpen was also impressive, as senior Edinburg Vela alum Nico Rodriguez entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in the sixth before striking out the side. Rodriguez retired all six batters he faced, striking out four.
Junior Mason Kosowick struck out one in a perfect eighth.
Junior Anthony Tejada struck out the side in a perfect ninth.
Junior Steven Lancia led the Vaqueros (2-1) offensively by going a career-best 5-for-5 with a career-high two doubles, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Graduate student CJ Valdez went 2-for-3, with a home run, a walk, a career-high six RBIs, and two runs scored. Freshman Armani Raygoza went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Senior Adrian Torres went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Junior Hank Warren went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Sean Sposato (0-1) retired the first two Vaqueros he faced in the first. After a walk and an error, though, Lancia hit an RBI-double to put the Vaqueros up 1-0.
After the Rams (1-2) tied the game in the top of the third, the Vaqueros plated five runs in the bottom of the inning on a 2-run single by Lancia and a 3-run home run by Valdez.
The Vaqueros scored four more runs in the fourth on a Raygoza single, a Valdez sacrifice fly, and a Warren RBI-single.
The Vaqueros had another four-run inning in the sixth on a 2-run double by Valdez and RBI-singles by senior Kade York and Torres.
The Vaqueros added another run in the seventh on a Warren sacrifice fly.
UTRGV opens a three-game nonconference series against Milwaukee at 6:30 p.m. Friday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at GoUTRGV.com/Tickets.
