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For Immediate
Release: Tuesday, February 11, 2003 BRONCS EARN SPLIT IN BATTLE OF UNBEATENS EDINBURG, TX- Senior left fielder Bruce Kennedy's (Mansfield, TX/Mansfield HS/Northeast Texas CC) two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted The University of Texas-Pan American's baseball team to a 3-2 win and a split of their doubleheader with Lamar University Monday night. Lamar won the opener, 16-10. With the split, Texas-Pan American is now 4-1, while LU is 4-1 as well. The teams will play again Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The Broncs won the nightcap in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the score tied at 2-all, senior shortstop Josh Englert (Westminster, CO/Standley Lake HS/Central Arkansas) singled to left field. Englert moved to third base when Cardinal third baseman Dustin Tilley threw wide of first base on sophomore outfielder John Lopez's (Mission, TX/Mission HS) sacrifice bunt, setting up Kennedy's game winning hit. "(Sophomore second baseman) Garza (Mission, TX/Sharyland HS) made the play of the game in the ninth," said UTPA Head Coach Willie Gawlik. "He was breaking for second on a hit-and-run, and came back to make a diving stop and throw out their fastest guy." UTPA nearly broke the game open in the fifth inning, when Lopez and senior outfielder Jerome McCoy (Fort Worth, TX/Eastern Hills HS/Northeast Texas CC) led off with singles and Kennedy reached on a throwing error to load the bases with no outs. Garza's sacrifice fly to left field gave the Broncs a 2-1 lead. The Cardinals tied the game at 2-2 when Blake Justice drew a lead off-walk in the sixth inning, stole second and third base, and scored on a wild pitch. Junior pitcher Ben DiOrio improved his record to 2-0 by earning the win in relief, allowing one hit and striking out two over two and two-thirds innings. Junior pitcher Tommy Sorden (Austin, TX/Bowie HS/Navarro College) started and allowed two runs over six and one-third innings, scattering five hits and striking out four. Junior third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, Texas/Arlington Heights HS/New Mexico) went three for four with one run batted in. Trey Rinando suffered the loss for Lamar, allowing one run on three hits over four and two-thirds innings, striking out six. In the opener, the Broncs trailed 16-3 after six innings, but rallied for seven runs in the seventh to pull within six, 16-10. Texas-Pan American sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning, and the rally was highlighted by Garza's three run double and Sisk's two run homer. "I thought it was a valiant comeback," said Gawlik. "We were down 16-3, and pulled within 16-10, and it carried over to the second game because we competed like we're supposed to compete." Lamar scored seven runs on seven hits during the first two innings to take a 7-0 lead. Garza led the Broncs offensively, turning in a three-for-five performance at the plate with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs, and two runs scored. Sophomore Tony Ortiz (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan HS) went four-for-six with a double, and McCoy went three-for-three with two runs scored, two RBIs, and a stolen base. "We started pitching better," said Gawlik. "Louie Alamia (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North HS) found his spots in the sixth inning and Robert Martinez (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg HS) did a good job. We shut them out over the last four innings." BA-19-03021003 |