Stephen F. Austin
0-4
UTRGV
4-0
Evans Homers, but 'Jacks Overpowered by UTRGV in 11-5 Loss
2/18/2018 8:27:00 PM | Baseball
SFA racked up 13 hits, but leaves 13 men on base
EDINBURG, Texas - Senior first baseman Josh Evans socked a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to cut UTRGV's lead to three, but the Vaqueros scored six of the next seven runs to break the game open as the Stephen F. Austin baseball team closed out its four-game slate at the Al Ogletree Classic by falling 11-5 to host UTRGV Sunday evening.
The Vaqueros jumped on the 'Jacks early, scoring runs in three of the first four innings and posting five two-run frames.
Two of the 'Jacks three errors in the game came in the first frame and allowed UTRGV to claim an early 2-0 lead. In the third, SFA starter Trevor Kiminski gave up a solo shot to the Vaqueros' Aaron Dees that pushed the hosts' lead to 3-0.
UTRGV plated one more run against Kiminski on an RBI groundout in the fourth before he was SFA's senior was pulled for sophomore Jackson Gore. The first batter Gore faced was Dees who greeted the second-year arm with an RBI single which increased UTRGV's lead to 5-0.
Evans broke up the Vaqueros' shutout bid in the sixth by turning on a 1-1 offering from Adrian Gonzalez and knocked it beyond the left field fence.
The Vaqueros didn't waste much time in getting those two runs back, however, by racking up a trio of his against SFA reliever Trayson Kubo in the home half of the fifth. After those three consecutive singles loaded the bases, UTRGV took advantage of a bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch to go up 7-2.
Nic Minor's bases-loaded walk in the SFA sixth trimmed UTRGV's lead to four but again the Vaqueros responded. Junior Tyler Starks walked two, hit one and allowed a single in a home sixth that yielded two runs. Those runs crossed on a bases-loaded wild pitch from Starks and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Coleman Grubbs.
Tyler Torres ended the Vaqueros' 11-run day with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh before junior Luis Santiago drove in the 'Jacks' last two runs with his two-run single in the top of the ninth.
SFA did manage to out-hit the Vaqueros 13-12 but also left 13 runners on base in the setback. Kiminski (0-1) was tagged with the loss, working only 3.2 frames and yielding five runs - four of which were earned.
Leadoff man Nick Daley enjoyed a 3-for-4 game at the plate and scored one of the 'Jacks' runs. Evans, Jared Martin and Manny Vasquez each struck for a pair of hits for SFA.
Dees and Torres combined to produce five of the Vaqueros' 12 hits and four RBI.
SFA's five-game road swing to begin the 2018 season concludes Tuesday evening in College Station, Texas, when the 'Jacks do battle with No. 10-ranked Texas A&M. First pitch at Blue Bell Park is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
-SFA-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hill, Trevelle (1-0)
L: Kiminski, Trevor (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Martin, Jared 1 ; Black, Skylar 1
HR: Evans, Josh 1
RBI: Minor, Nic 1 ; Evans, Josh 2 ; Santiago, Luis 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Daley, Nick 1 ; Evans, Josh 1 ; Cullen, Kyle 1 ; Black, Skylar 1 ; Vasquez, Manny 1
SB: Daley, Nick 1
CS: Minor, Nic 1
Batting:
HR: Dees, Aaron 1 ; Torres, Tyler 1
RBI: Grubbs, Coleman 1 ; Alexander, Elijah 1 ; Gomez, Anthony 1 ; Dees, Aaron 2 ; Torres, Tyler 2
SF: Grubbs, Coleman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Grubbs, Coleman 1 ; Alexander, Elijah 2 ; Gomez, Anthony 1 ; Dees, Aaron 1 ; Estrella, Ivan 2 ; Torres, Tyler 2 ; Closner IV, Oliver 1 ; Fish, Ryan 1
SB: Alexander, Elijah 1 ; Dees, Aaron 1
HBP: Estrella, Ivan 1 ; Varela III, Roger 1 ; Closner IV, Oliver 2 ; McMahon, Conrad 1
