For Immediate Release: Sunday, February 02, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

BRONCS MAKE IT 3-0, SWEEP SCHREINER

EDINBURG, TX-In their first year under Head Coach Willie Gawlik, The University of Texas-Pan American baseball team has already accomplished something that they hadn't accomplished since the 1996 season.

The Broncs have started the 2003 season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 1996, winning their second and third games of the year by sweeping Schreiner, 13-4 and 7-1, in a doubleheader at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium Sunday afternoon.

A pair of newcomers, freshman righthanded pitcher Aaron Guerra (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg HS) and sophomore lefthander Ricky Anderson (Corinth, TX/Lake Dallas HS/North Central Texas College), combined for a four-hitter in the nightcap. Guerra allowed a run and four hits in six innings to earn the victory in his first start at UTPA before Anderson finished with a scoreless inning.

The Mountaineers took a 1-0 lead on Victor Trevino's RBI single in the second inning, but Bronc freshman catcher Jarod Hickle (LaGrange, TX/LaGrange HS) gave the Broncs the lead for good with a two-out, two-run home run just inside the left field foul pole in the bottom of the fourth. "Their pitcher just missed, and Jarod got all of it," said Gawlik. "That definitely changed the momentum of the game."

It was smooth sailing for Texas-Pan American after that. The Broncs added three runs in the fifth inning on a walk to senior right fielder Jerome McCoy (Fort Worth, TX/Eastern Hills HS/Northeast Texas CC), senior left fielder Bruce Kennedy's (Mansfield, TX/Mansfield HS/Northeast Texas CC) bunt single, an error, and a pinch-hit, run-scoring double by sophomore Juan Saenz (Mission, TX/ Mission HS). Two more runs crossed in the sixth on Kennedy's two-run double with the bases loaded.

"Aaron threw well," said Gawlik. "He only had 39 pitches after four innings, and he probably could have pitched the whole game, but I wanted to let Ricky Anderson throw an inning at the end. I left Aaron in there for six innings because the game was close, and he was throwing well."

Sophomore second baseman Marco Garza (Mission, TX/Sharyland HS) tripled in a run and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, TX/Arlington Heights HS/New Mexico) to stake the Broncs to a 2-0 first-inning lead in the opener. McCoy's RBI double and Kennedy's run-scoring single in the fourth put UTPA ahead, 4-1.

The Broncs broke it open with six runs in the bottom of the eighth. McCoy singled, went to second on an error, and scored on Kennedy's double to left field. Sisk singled Kennedy home, a single by sophomore first baseman Tony Ortiz (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan HS) plated Sisk, senior shortstop Josh Englert (Westminster, CO/Standley Lake HS/Central Arkansas) drove home pinch-runner Jonathan Mason (So. San Antonio, TX/Jay HS) with a hit, and freshman center fielder T.J. Gilmer (Forney, TX/Forney HS) drove in the final two runs with a single to center field.

Junior Ben DiOrio (Canon City, CO/Canon City HS/Seward County CC) was the winning pitcher, allowing one run and six hits in five innings in his first start. Junior Johnny Gibson (Sachse, TX/Naaman Forest HS/Collin County HS) pitched the final 3 2/3 innings for his first save.

"We battled back in both games, and we did a good job," said Gawlik. "Schreiner played good ball for the first six innings of the first game and the first four innings of the second game. We adjusted to their pitchers the second time through the order, became more patient, kept the pressure on, and we were able to win both games."

The Broncs improved to 3-0 with their wins, while Schreiner fell to 0-2. Texas-Pan American will return to action when they host Lamar in the first game of a four-game series Friday at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

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