The UTRGV baseball team kept its season alive with a 19-9 win in eight innings against Seattle in a Western Athletic Conference Tournament elimination game Friday at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Az., the spring training home of the Oakland Athletics.
The Vaqueros (31-25) are now one of three teams left standing in the WAC tourney after their offensive explosion against the Red Hawks.
“That was a good offensive day for us, that was big. We needed that to kind of get going and relax a little bit and play,” UTRGV baseball head coach Derek Matlock said.
The victory sends UTRGV into another elimination game at 4 p.m. Saturday in the WAC Tournament Semifinals for a matchup against the loser of Friday night’s semifinal game between No. 1 Grand Canyon and No. 2 Sacramento State. The game is available to watch on ESPN+.
Trailing 3-0 to start the third, UTRGV turned up the offense with a seven-run inning.
UTRGV right fielder Jacob Hirsh drew a leadoff walk from Seattle’s Kohl Petersen (0-3). Shortstop Christian Sepulveda followed with a double and then center fielder Coleman Grubbs hit a two-run single. Three batters later, the Vaqueros had runners on the corners with two outs when senior left fielder Elijah Alexander hit a grounder to the shortstop hole for an RBI single. Sophomore first baseman Angel De La Cruz followed with an RBI single to left to knock out Petersen. Junior Edinburg Vela alum and starting catcher RJ Ochoa capped the inning with a three-run home run on the second pitch by reliever Brady Liddle to make the score 7-3.
Ochoa’s home run, his fifth of the season, traveled 380 feet with an exit velocity of 94 miles per hour.
“I just tried getting my swing off and putting some runs on the board,” Ochoa said. “Felt good to come back out and do what we should be doing. It felt good to put up that many runs in this tournament, we haven’t really done that. … We need to try to come out tomorrow and do the same thing tomorrow all over again.”
The Vaqueros put Grubbs and second baseman Andy Atwood at first and second to start the fourth. They attempted a double-steal, and the throw to third went into left field, allowing Grubbs to score. One batter later, designated hitter Joseph Impeduglia hit an RBI single to put the Vaqueros up 9-3.
During the fifth, the Vaqueros put runners at second and third with one out to set up a two-run double by Grubbs and a long two-run home run by Atwood. The home run, Atwood’s 10th of the season, traveled 412 feet with an exit velocity of 104 miles per hour.
Atwood now ranks tied for ninth in program history for home runs in a season with former Oakland A’s third baseman George Williams (1991) and Tommy Supak (1980).
The Vaqueros have now hit 50 home runs this season, the fifth-highest total in program history.
The Vaqueros went up 14-4 later during the fifth when an Impeduglia single and an error allowed sophomore Diego Ramirez to score.
The Vaqueros added another run during the sixth when Hirsh tripled and scored on a wild pitch to make the score 15-4.
During the eighth, Grubbs scored on a passed ball, Impeduglia lifted a sacrifice fly and Ochoa hit a two-run single to make the score 19-9.
Ochoa finished 3-for-6 with a home run, a career-high five RBIs and two runs scored. Grubbs went 2-for-4 with a double, a season-high tying four RBIs and a career-high tying four runs scored. He was also plunked twice. Atwood finished 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored. Sepulveda went 2-for-6 with a career-high tying two doubles and a season-high tying two runs scored. Impeduglia finished 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored.
UTRGV junior pitcher Ricky Gerik Jr. (7-3) earned the win in relief by striking out two in a perfect eighth inning.
