Junior PSJA High alumnus Jacob Sanchez hit a pair of 3-run home runs to propel the UTRGV baseball team to a 12-6 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies on Sunday at Presley Askew Field in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Sanchez finished the series with three home runs, with Sunday marking his first-career multi-home run game. Sanchez went 2-for-5 with a career-high six RBI and a season-high tying two runs scored. The is the first time a Vaquero has had multiple 3-run home runs since Feb. 20, 2022, when Brandon Pimentel, now a graduate student, launched a pair and drove-in six against George Washington. This is the program’s fourth six-RBI game since 2008 along with Vinnie Mejia on March 5, 2010 against Louisiana Tech and Jordan Rutenbar against Northern Colorado on May 3, 2008.
Sanchez’s first home run capped a 5-run second inning and was the first of two multi-home run innings for the Vaqueros (12-11, 3-6 WAC). Senior Roberto Gonzalez led off the inning with a solo home run off Darius Garcia (2-1). The next two batters reached, leading to junior Adrian Torres laying down a bunt. The throw to first went wide, allowing graduate student Montclair Cain to score. Sanchez followed with his first home run to make the score 5-2.
In the fifth, Pimentel launched his third home run of the season, a no doubt shot to center. Two outs later, the Vaqueros used back-to-back singles to bring Sanchez back to the plate for his second home run of the game to make the score 9-2.
Torres scored on both of Sanchez’s home runs while finishing 2-for-3 with two walks. Gonzalez and junior Kade York also had multiple hits, with each going 2-for-5.
Sophomore Vela alum Isaac Lopez hit the Vaqueros’ fifth home run of the game, a solo shot in the sixth, to make the score 10-3.
York hit an RBI-single in the seventh to make the score 11-3.
Sophomore Steven Lancia added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make the score 12-3.
Senior Colten Davis (3-2) opened the game by striking out the first two Aggies (4-17, 2-7 WAC) he faced. After a walk, though, Christian Perez hit a two-run home run.
That was it until the fifth, when Nick Gore hit a one-out RBI single to make the score 9-3.
Davis pitched 6.2 innings, striking out a career-high tying nine while scattering eight hits and two walks.
The Aggies added three in the ninth on a Mitch Namie single and a 2-run home run by Kevin Jimenez.
UTRGV hosts Texas State, a team receiving votes in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll, on $2 Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg. General admission tickets and select concession items are available for $2 or less. Tickets are on sale now at UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID.
Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.