No. 10 Baseball hosts Huston-Tillotson in RRAC series
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 2 |
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2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | X | 9 | 14 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
The No. 10-ranked UHV baseball team feels its firmly back on track.
A 6-5 come-from-behind win over NCAA Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi put the Jaguars (26-7, 14-4) back in the win column after a brief four-game schneid. UHV used a four-run eighth inning to capture its first-ever season sweep of the Islanders.
Now, the Jaguars, who sit in second place in the Red River Athletic Conference behind No. 1 LSU Shreveport, are ready to face Huston-Tillotson (13-21, 8-10) in a three-game RRAC set at Riverside Stadium this weekend. The series kicks off with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday with the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
"It's about getting our confidence back," head coach Jonathan Stavinoha said. "It feels good to get back in the win column and remind ourselves who we are and what we can do.
"Chase (Almendarez) has done a good job at HT. They've shown they swing the bat well. They're likely going to be another team in the conference tournament this year. So we have to really step up, play our game and get back to what we do well overall."
Rafael Gutierrez continued to prove his clutch timing, blasting a game-tying, three-run home run in the eighth on Tuesday. All three homers this year for the Jacksonville, Florida, native have been of the game-tying or go-ahead variety.
The graduate senior has hit safely in seven of the last nine games, including each of the last two, with multi-hit performances in five of those seven.
"He's really put some good swings on some baseballs," Stavinoha said. "That was just a moment where we really needed something. That's his M.O. In a big spot, here he is. What can he do? And he delivers once again."
Freshman Xavier Ortega has also really come along the last couple of games for the Jaguars.
The Victoria East product sparked the go-ahead two-out rally in the eighth with a single up the middle. That hit turned into the eventual winning run when Jean Michael Gonzalez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
In eight starts this season, Ortega has delivered five multi-hit games.
"He's getting a little more rhythm in his at-bats and a little more comfortability," Stavinoha said. "We saw that with the swing and gave him the opportunity, and he jumped on some baseballs. We've got confidence he's going to get on base, swing the bat and find a gap here and there. It's very good to see him performing like this as a freshman."
UHV's starting pitchers have been strong throughout the season with Brady Parker and Jonathan Jones ranking in the top five in the RRAC in ERA. Parker's 1.67 leads the league while Jones is fourth with a 1.95.
Parker also ranks second nationally in strikeouts with 80.
But it was the bullpen's performance on Tuesday which stood out for the Jaguars.
Justin Mireles, Andrew Hurrelbrink and Jacob Baker combined to throw four hitless innings behind starter Mason Longoria and give the Jaguars their chance to rally back.
Mireles earned his first win of the season in two innings of work while Baker notched his RRAC-leading fifth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
"When it comes to postseason ball, you're going to need those guys," Stavinoha said. "They really stepped up on Tuesday and executed their pitches, came out with the right kind of fire and electricity. I think they took a step forward in their game this year and it'll be good having that confidence going forward."