Seventh-Inning UTRGV Homer the Difference in 'Jacks' 6-4 Loss

Saturday, February 17

Edinburg, Texas

11:00 a.m.

Stephen F. Austin

0-2

UTRGV

2-0

Stephen F. Austin

UT Rio Grande Valley

Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography

Seventh-Inning UTRGV Homer the Difference in 'Jacks' 6-4 Loss

2/17/2018 2:32:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Campbell blasts a two-run long ball for 'Jacks, Evans adds two hit and an RBI

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

EDINBURG, Texas - Trailing by three runs after four innings, the Stephen F. Austin baseball team roared back to knot matters at four-all with a two-run home run off the bat of Josh Campbell, but UTRGV returned the favor in the home half of the seventh when Elijah Alexander smashed a go-ahead two-run homer that proved to be the difference in the 'Jacks' 6-4 setback to the Vaqueros Saturday morning.

The first and only lead the 'Jacks took in the game came in their first set of at-bats. Nick Daley led off the game with walk before Evans brought the junior around to score with an RBI double to left-center.

Armed with their first lead of the 2018 campaign, the 'Jacks went to junior right-hander Jake Norton who was making his first start in an SFA uniform. The Waxahachie, Texas, product's outing was short-lived, however, as he tossed only eight pitches before exiting the game with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

Not expecting to go to their bullpen so early in the non-conference tilt, the 'Jacks selected freshman Sean Beasley to continue the inning only to see the first-year man surrender a one-out RBI double and a two-out RBI single to the Vaqueros which put SFA at a 2-1 disadvantage.

The hosts' lead grew to three runs in the third inning after Tyler Torres punched a one-out, two-run single up the middle. Beasley's day ended after the Vaqueros' two-run third inning and the freshman turned things over to junior Austin Hearn who kept UTRGV's bats at bay who the 'Jacks mounted their comeback.

Jarrod Huber turned his one-out walk in the fourth into the 'Jacks second run after Daley laced a one-out RBI single down the left field line. With his squads' deficit trimmed to two, Hearn sat down five of the six batters he faced through the fourth and fifth frames and got an assist from Huber behind the dish who threw out Matthew Mendoza at second on a steal attempt to conclude the fifth.

Freshman Skylar Black's first collegiate hit - a leadoff triple to deep center - sparked the 'Jacks offense in the top of the sixth. Two batters later, sophomore Josh Campbell turned on a 2-1 offering from UTRGV right-hander Chase Adams and hammered it out of the park. Campbell's second career long ball knotted things at 4-4, but the Vaqueros responded with some power of their own.

Sophomore Jackson Gore fired a scoreless sixth and after registering the first UTRGV out in the seventh was pulled for junior Jesus Gamez. With just two strikes separating Gamez from the end of the seventh, however, Elijah Alexander blasted a 3-1 pitch from Gamez over the fence in left field. That two-run shot put the home squad back up for good.

The only baserunner SFA put on the paths in the final two innings was Manny Vasquez who reached first with a one-out single in the ninth.

For the game, Josh Campbell and Evans each recorded a pair of hits and combined to drive in three of the four SFA runs. Anthony Gomez racked up a game-high four hits for the Vaqueros while Alexander finished 2-for-4 with a trio of RBI.

The 'Jacks' four-game set at the Al Ogletree Classic will conclude Sunday with a doubleheader. First up for SFA is an 11:00 a.m. matchup against Central Michigan before the 'Jacks close out the day with a 3:00 p.m. showdown with UTRGV.

-SFA-