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For Immediate Release: February 23, 2002 BRONCS DEFEAT ILLINOIS
EDINBURG, TX –Good hitting and clutch pitching is
usually a winning combination. The University of Texas-Pan American baseball team
used that formula to perfection Saturday afternoon, defeating Illinois,
8-6, at the Edinburg baseball Stadium and snapping a five-game losing
streak in the process... After the Illini grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of
the third, the Broncs got things going in the bottom half of the inning.
Freshman first baseman Carlos Gallardo (Mission, TX/Sharyland HS) led
off with an infield single, and senior second baseman Sergio Pompa
(Mission, TX/Mission HS) followed with a single to left. Junior
shortstop Jerome McCoy’s (Fort Worth, TX/Eastern Hills HS/Northeast
Texas CC) single scored one run, junior left fielder Bruce Kennedy
(Mansfield, TX/Mansfield HS/Northeast Texas CC) doubled for another, and
sophomore third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, TX/Arlington Heights
HS/New Mexico) hit a two run homer into the left field bullpen to put
UTPA ahead by three runs. Patrick Arlis’ double and a sacrifice fly by
Dusty Bensko in the fourth made it 4-3, and Andy Schutzenhofer gave the
Illini a 5-4 lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. The Broncs came right back. McCoy singled, and was
sacrificed to second by Kennedy. Sisk singled McCoy home, then junior
right fielder Skip Weast (Inola, OK/Inola HS/Crowder JC) doubled Sisk
home to give the Broncs the lead for good. Illinois threatened in the top of the sixth. With
two out, Brett Wicker was hit by a pitch, and Drew Davidson singled.
Senior righthander Ed Marko (Cleveland, OH/Notre
Dame-Cathedral-Latin/Cleveland State) relieved starter Frank James (Sr.
Elgin, TX/Elgin HS/Navarro JC) and retired the side. The Broncs added two more in the sixth.
Senior Adam Farek (Crockett, TX/Crockett HS/Cedar Valley CC) led
off with a pinch-hit single, and senior Marvin Manns (Okmulgee,
OK/Okmulgee HS/Crowder JC) pinch-ran and stole second. McCoy walked and
Kennedy was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With two out, junior
designated hitter Jarrad Maddox (Houston, TX/Jersey Village HS/Northern
Arkansas CC) grounded a ball just inside the first-base line for a
two-run double. The Broncs brought in their closer, senior Jacob
Pierce (Longview, TX/Longview HS/Navarro JC) for the ninth inning, He
yielded a run-scoring triple to Arlis, but induced Wicker to bounce into
a double play to end the game. James earned the victory and improved to 2-2,
pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up five runs and seven hits. Mark
pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, while Pierce earned his first
save of the season. Justin Olson allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings for
the Illini, and took the loss, dropping his record to 0-1. “We
were a lot more consistent and a lot more disciplined at the plate
today, and it made a difference,” said UTPA Head Coach Reggie Tredaway.
“Hopefully, that’s something we can continue to build on. We put the
ball in play, and we played well defensively and didn’t make any
errors. Frank threw well, but he got a little tired, and Ed came in and
really gave us a lift. Jacob is our closer, and the game was in his
hands in the ninth inning.” UTPA
improved to 2-8 with the victory, while Illinois fell to 1-1. The Broncs
and the Illini will meet Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. in the final game
of the series. BBILLINOIS2022302
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