For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

BRONCS FALL AT TEXAS, 6-5

AUSTIN, TX-After 7 ½ innings, only six outs stood between The University of Texas-Pan American's baseball team and the end of a 23-game losing streak against defending NCAA Division I champion Texas.

However, the Longhorns rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, then scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth and defeated the Broncs, 6-5, at Disch-Falk Field Tuesday evening.

Texas won the game in the bottom of the ninth. Center fielder Joe Ferin was hit by a pitch from reliever John Lopez (Mission, TX/Mission HS), and went to second on a balk. Third baseman Joe Reininger flied to right field. Ferin then stole third, and came on to score when sophomore catcher Matt Eichel's (Grapevine, TX/Grapevine HS) throw to third base went awry.

Texas-Pan American scored the game's first five runs. UTPA grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third when senior right fielder Jerome McCoy (Fort Worth, TX/Eastern Hills HS/Northeast Texas CC) singled, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by sophomore shortstop Marco Garza (Mission, TX/Sharyland HS).

Junior third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, TX/Arlington Heights HS/New Mexico) hit a solo homer in the fourth to make it 2-0. Then Matt Eichel walked, took second on Lopez' bunt single, and scored on a hit by McCoy.

The Broncs made it 5-0 in the fifth. Garza reached on a bunt single, took second on an error by right fielder Dustin Majewski, and scored on an RBI single by sophomore first baseman Tony Ortiz (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan HS). Ortiz scored on Eichel's sacrifice fly.

Texas got on the board in the fifth. Reininger broke the shutout bid of senior righthander Travis Parker (Brownsville, TX/Hanna HS/UT-Brownsville) with an RBI single, and first baseman Stephen Ripper followed with another run-scoring hit.

The Longhorns tied it in the eighth. Second baseman Tim Moss walked and left fielder Eric Sultemeier singled. Shortstop Omar Quintanilla's RBI double chased Parker and brought in Lopez. Majewski drove in a run with a ground out, and pinch-hitter Taylor Teagarden's sacrifice fly tied the game.

Texas-Pan American had a chance to go ahead in the top of the ninth, loading the bases with one out. But reliever Brantley Jordan induced senior left fielder Bruce Kennedy (Mansfield, TX/ Mansfield HS/Northeast Texas CC) to bounce into a double play to end the threat.

"We made a few mistakes in the eighth and ninth innings, and they killed us," said UTPA Head Coach Willie Gawlik. "Travis threw a great game, and he deserved to win. We had a chance to go ahead in the ninth, but Bruce hit the ball right at the shortstop. We made some mistakes late in the game, and that was it."

Jordan, the fifth Texas pitcher, earned the victory and improved to 2-0. Lopez took the loss and fell to 2-1.

The Broncs fell to 19-24 with the defeat, while Texas improved to 32-13. Texas-Pan American will visit Texas-San Antonio for a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon.

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