For Immediate Release: February 26, 2002
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Director of Athletic Media Relations, (956) 381-2240

BRONCS DROP TWO TO UTSA  

BOXSCORE Game 1
BOXSCORE Game 2

EDINBURG, TX –On a cold, blustery afternoon, The University of Texas-Pan American’s baseball dropped both games of a doubleheader to the University of Texas-San Antonio at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium. The Roadrunners won the opener, 16-5, and claimed the nightcap as well, 13-1.

The opener got away from the Broncs late in the game. UTSA had opened the scoring with a run in the first and four more in the second. Third baseman Mark Schramek knocked in two of the runs, with a single and a sacrifice fly, while singles by second baseman Aaron Semper and shortstop Matt Srp accounted for the others. 

UTPA tied the score in the third. With one out, sophomore third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, TX/Arlington Heights HS/New Mexico) singled to center field. One out later, senior third baseman Adam Farek (Crockett, TX/Crockett HS/Cedar Valley CC) walked, and junior catcher Sean Flynn (Bradenton, FL/Bradenton Christian Academy) followed with a single to load the bases. Sisk, Farek, Flynn and freshman first baseman Carlos Gallardo (Mission, TX/Sharyland HS) then scored on consecutive infield errors, and freshman center fielder Jonathan Mason (San Antonio, TX/Jay HS) then singled to left field to tie the game.

UTSA took the lead for good in the fifth, scoring four times against starter and loser Justin Bogy (So. West Columbia, TX/West Columbia HS). Three consecutive singles and a walk to right fielder Dustin Perez broke the tie. Semper singled home two more runs, and Srp drove in another with a hit. Seven runs in the top of the seventh and final inning accounted for the final score. Aaron Rodriguez went five innings for the win, improving to 1-0, while Bogy (0-1) took the loss.

The Roadrunners used a four-run first inning and a six-run fourth to take command in the nightcap. Two first-inning runs scored on a pair of wild pitches by Bronc starter and loser Mike Killian (Santa Fe, TX/Santa Fe HS/Hill JC), another crossed on an error, and a fourth scored on a hit by right fielder Dustin Perez. Run-scoring hits by first baseman Shane Menn, Semper and center fielder Phil Gentry, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly by shortstop Clint Sansom accounted for UTSA’s output in the fourth.

The Broncs scored in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, freshman right fielder Tony Ortiz (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan HS) singled and moved to second on a single by freshman catcher Matt Eichel (Grapevine, TX/Grapevine HS). Freshman first baseman Chris Jones (Colleyville, TX/Colleyville Heritage HS) walked to fill the bases, and freshman second baseman Marco Garza (Mission, TX/Sharyland HS) hit a sacrifice fly to score Ortiz.

Killian, the first of four UTPA pitchers, took the loss and fell to 0-1. Brian Eck (1-0) went five innings for the victory.

 “We didn’t get enough people out, and we don’t have the type of offense where we can score a lot of runs to make up for that,” said UTPA Head Coach Reggie Tredaway.  “It puts too much pressure on your defense. It’s hard to win when you’re four or five runs down before you have even come to bat yet. We’re walking and hitting too many batters, and we’re not throwing enough strikes. When you walk a batter, then hit a batter, then groove one, it winds up in the alley. We’ve got to do a better job, and we’ve got to be more consistent.”

UTPA fell to 2-11 with the losses, while UTSA improved to 6-4. The Broncs will travel to Louisiana-Lafayette for a three-game series, beginning Friday night at 6:30 p.m.

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