Senior Jalen Freeman capped a two-run ninth inning with a walk-off single to lift the UTRGV baseball team over the Incarnate Word Cardinals 5-4 on Tuesday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.
The Vaqueros (11-8) trailed 4-3 entering the ninth. Junior Sharyland High alumnus Martin Vazquez started the inning by reaching second base on an error. Junior Steven Lancia followed with a single against Westin Walls (3-1) to put runners on the corners. One out later, junior Hank Warren laid down a suicide squeeze to tie the game. Freeman followed with a fly ball to deep center that dropped in for the game-winning hit.
That made a winner of senior Edinburg Vela alumnus Nico Rodriguez (2-0), who struck out one in a perfect ninth.
Lancia led the Vaqueros offensively by going 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored. Freshman Armani Raygoza went a career-high tying 2-for-3 with two RBI. Junior Erick Martinez finished 2-for-3 with a walk. Senior Adrian Torres went 2-for-5 with a double.
With the Vaqueros down 1-0 in the second, Lancia walked and graduate student CJ Valdez doubled. One out later, Raygoza hit a 2-run single to give the Vaqueros a 2-1 lead.
Then, with the Vaqueros down 3-2 in the fifth and Vazquez at second, Lancia hit an RBI-single to tie the game.
With two outs in the eighth, however, the Cardinals (13-6) put runners at first and second, setting up a go-ahead single by Dalton Beck.
Sophomore Wyatt Wiatrek made his second-straight Tuesday start, striking out a career-high tying six for the second game in a row while allowing one run on one hit and four walks in 3.0 innings.
The Cardinals scored their run with two outs in the first on a bases-loaded walk by Ryder Hernandez.
The Cardinals added two more in the fifth on RBI-singles by Dalton Beck and Tony DeJesus.
Senior Alex Havlicek made his UTRGV debut, pitching a hitless seventh.
UTRGV opens a 3-game series against Grand Canyon on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. It’s military appreciation night. Active and retired military get free admission. The game also features the Cane’s Challenge. If the Vaqueros win, all fans in the stadium will receive coupons for buy one, get one free box combos at Raising Cane’s on their way out
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at GoUTRGV.com/Tickets. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Fans can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.
