EDINBURG — UTRGV baseball is back in action this weekend with a three-game Western Athletic Conference series against Sam Houston today through Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
Game 1 between the Vaqueros (9-7, 1-2) and Bearkats (10-8, 3-0) is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tonight. Game 2 starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, with the series finale slated for a noon start Sunday. Saturday’s game is Military Appreciation Night with free admission to active duty and retired military.
CABRAL BREAKS THROUGH
Junior right-handed pitcher Angelo Cabral began the season coming out of the bullpen. Then, he delivered a national- and WAC pitcher of the week-winning performance in his first start of the season with a 15-strikeout game in a 9-2 win over Central Michigan on Feb. 24, allowing just two hits, two walks and no earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.
He returned to the bullpen and pitched two shutout innings with one walk and four strikeouts against Houston to earn a save and help UTRGV win the series 2-1 against the Cougars on March 5.
Now that WAC play has arrived, Cabral has taken over starting duties on Saturdays and has produced similar standout results. Although the Vaqueros lost the series 2-1 against California Baptist, Cabral led UTRGV to its only win of the weekend by pitching six shutout innings and surrendering five hits and two walks, striking out six.
Cabral (3-0) holds a team-best 1.08 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings pitched and will start the middle game for the Vaqueros against Sam Houston on Saturday.
RIVERA’S DEBUT
Four different players have started in left field for the Vaqueros in 16 games this season. The latest to step in was Sharyland Pioneer alumnus and UTRGV freshman Juan Rivera, who made his collegiate debut in left field against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday.
The Vaqueros trailed 5-0 entering the eighth inning and Rivera led the frame off with a single to left field for his first career hit. His base hit helped spark a late rally by the Vaqueros, who proceeded to score all four of their runs during the eighth. Center fielder Zerek Saenz doubled to allow Rivera to score the first run of his career.
The Pioneer product finished 1-for-3 with one walk.