The UTRGV baseball team lost to the New Mexico State Aggies 9-5 in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Presley Askew Field in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Montclair Cain led the Vaqueros (10-11, 1-6 WAC) offensively by going 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Junior Adrian Torres went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Graduate student Brandon Pimentel and senior Zerek Saenz also went 2-for-5.

After Meza Treyjen (1-4) retired the first two Vaqueros in the first, sophomore Vela alum Isaac Lopez was hit by a pitch, Pimentel singled and senior Roberto Gonzalez reached on an error that allowed Lopez to score to make the score 1-0.

In the second, sophomore Steven Lancia led off with a single. He scored on an RBI single by junior Kade York. A Cain RBI double made the score 3-0.

Sophomore Randy Garza retired the first four batters he faced, striking out two. Then after allowing a double, Garza set down the next eight batters, striking out seven, including all six batters he faced during the third and fourth innings.

The Aggies (4-15, 2-5 WAC) broke through in the fifth. After a leadoff single, the Aggies put the runner in motion. As York went to cover second base, Keith Jones II hit a grounder through the vacated shortstop position for a base hit. Nick Gore followed with a three-run home run to tie the game. Two outs later, Mitch Namie homered to give the Aggies the lead.

Garza finished with a career-high nine strikeouts in a season-high five innings.

The Vaqueros tied the game in the sixth on York’s RBI groundout.

In the bottom of the sixth, though, Christian Perez hit a two-run home run off junior Zach Tjelmeland (0-1) to give the Aggies a 6-4 lead.

The Vaqueros got one back in the seventh on a Lopez sacrifice fly to make the score 6-5.

The Aggies plated three runs during the seventh.

Tjelmeland finished with two strikeouts. Graduate student Kris Massey struck out one.

UTRGV pitching recorded 12 strikeouts and no walks during the first seven innings, completing a span of 16 innings with 23 strikeouts and no walks.

Freshman Edinburg High alumnus Daren Barrera made his collegiate debut in the eighth, pitching a scoreless inning.

UTRGV and New Mexico State play the middle game of this three-game series at 3 p.m. today.

The UTRGV baseball team defeated the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners, a team receiving votes in the latest USA Today Coaches and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association polls, 5-3 on Tuesday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.

The win snaps the five-game skid of the Vaqueros (10-10) and the 10-game winning streak of the Roadrunners (18-4).

The Vaqueros broke through against Drake Smith (1-1) with two outs in the second. Junior Adrian Torres and sophomore Erick Martinez drew back-to-back walks on 3-2 pitches, setting up an RBI double by junior Kade York. Senior Zerek Saenz followed with a two-run single to make the score 3-0.

The Vaqueros added two more runs in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single by sophomore and Edinburg Vela alumnus Isaac Lopez to make the score 5-0.

York went a career-high-tying 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Lopez finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Senior J.C. Ariza (1-2) cruised through the first four innings, striking out four and allowing two singles. During the fifth, however, Caleb Hill and Taylor Smith hit home runs to make the score 5-2.

Senior Alex Verdugo took over in the sixth, pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out six and allowing one hit.

Graduate student Kris Massey recorded the final out of the eighth before junior Sebastian Mejia worked around an Antonio Valdez solo home run for his first save.

UTRGV visits New Mexico State for a three-game series starting at 7 p.m. Friday.

The UTRGV baseball team lost 6-4 to the Sam Houston Bearkats in the middle game of a Western Athletic Conference three-game series on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.

Junior Adrian Torres led the Vaqueros (9-9, 1-4 WAC) offensively, posting his second-career three-hit game by going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Graduate student Montclair Cain went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Junior PSJA High alum Jacob Sanchez walked twice while going 1-for-3 with a run scored.

The Bearkats (12-8, 5-0 WAC) broke the scoreless tie in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Easton Loyd.

In the bottom of the inning, though, the Vaqueros put runners on the corners with one out. Cain took off from first to second. The throw went into center field, allowing senior Roberto Gonzalez to score to tie the game.

The Bearkats regained the lead in the fifth on an RBI-single by Tyler Davis before going up 3-1 on a Loyd home run in the sixth.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Cain and Sanchez singled to setup RBI-singles by Torres and senior Edinburg Vela alum RJ Ochoa to tie the game at 3.

The Bearkats went ahead in the top of the seventh on a Walker Janek RBI-single against sophomore Randy Garza (0-1), but in the bottom of the inning, the Vaqueros tied the game on a one-out RBI-single by graduate student Brandon Pimentel.

In the eighth, however, three of the first four hitters walked, leading to a two-run single by Joe Redfield to give the Bearkats the lead for good.

That made a winner of Rome Shubert (1-2), who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.

Braden Davis pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.

UTRGV and Sam Houston conclude this three-game series on Sunday at 12 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. Tickets are on sale now at UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 11 a.m.

Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

The UTRGV baseball team fell to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 5-4 as part of the South Texas Showdown on Tuesday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.

The Vaqueros (9-7) now trail the Islanders (8-9) 28-26 in the showdown standings. There are 10 points still available, including six in track & field on Friday and Saturday as the two teams compete at the UTSA Invitational, three in baseball at Corpus Christi on April 11, and one for the baseball attendance point. In the event of a tie, the April 4 baseball game at UTRGV will be considered the tiebreaker.

The Vaqueros scored all their runs in the eighth. With one out, freshman Sharyland Pioneer alum Juan Rivera, making his collegiate debut, sliced a single into left field for his first career hit. Junior Kade York followed with a walk and senior Zerek Saenz hit an RBI-double to left. Sophomore Vela alum Isaac Lopez came up with a sacrifice fly and then graduate student Brandon Pimentel hit an RBI-single to left. After pinch-runner and graduate student Spencer Serven stole second, senior Roberto Gonzalez hit an RBI-double to make the score 5-4.

In the ninth, freshman PSJA North alum Damian Rodriguez walked and stole second, but Austin Dean struck out the next two batters for his first save.

Senior J.C. Ariza (0-2) started for the Vaqueros and struck out seven while allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk in 5.0 innings.

Brendan Ryan was a big part of the first four runs. In the first, he singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third, and scored on an error. In the fourth, he led off with a triple and scored on a Max Puls sacrifice fly. Ryan then hit a two-run triple in the fifth.

The Islanders added another run in the sixth on a two-out single by Chance Reisdorph.

Matthew Watson (1-1) made the runs stand up, pitching 5.0 hitless innings. Rodriguez was the first base runner, drawing a 10-pitch walk to leadoff the third. Watson faced the minimum through four before plunking Gonzalez to start the fifth. Watson ended the outing with his lone strikeout.

UTRGV hosts Sam Houston for a three-game series starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. 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. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

UTRGV football head coach Travis Bush announced the hiring of Jeff Bowen, who spent the last four seasons as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Northeastern State, to be the first offensive line coach in program history on Monday.

Bush and Bowen previously worked together during UTSA’s inaugural season in 2011, when Bush was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Bowen was a graduate assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends.

Bush was also part of the coaching staff at Texas State when Bowen was an offensive lineman from 2006-08. Bush was the wide receivers coach in 2006 before being promoted to associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the next three seasons.

Together, Bush and Bowen helped Texas State to rank fifth in the FCS in total offense and fourth in scoring offense in 2008.

“Two words describe Jeff Bowen: ‘Texas tough,’” Bush said. “Jeff may be the toughest person I’ve ever met. I watched Jeff walk on our team at Texas State as an undersized center. Not only did he earn the starting job and a scholarship, but Jeff was an FCS All-American while anchoring one of the top offenses in the country. Not many people know, but Jeff played half the season with a broken snapping hand and slipped discs in his back, and he never missed a snap. I want to be on Jeff’s team no matter where we’re at. We hired him at UTSA right out of college and we’re excited to hire him again. It’s been amazing to watch his progress as a coach throughout the years, working his way up to be a coordinator. He coaches exactly the way he played: tough. If you’re an offensive lineman, you want to come play for this guy.”

Bowen has significant prior Division I experience, including as the tight ends coach at Stephen F. Austin in 2018, the offensive line coach at Northwestern State in 2017, the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach at Northwestern State from 2014-15, and as a graduate assistant at UTSA from 2011-13 and Texas State in 2010. Bowen also served as the offensive line coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College in 2016. Throughout his career, Bowen has been responsible for recruiting areas including the DFW metroplex, Central Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa.

During the 2017 season, Bowen helped the Northwestern State offense improve in both total offense and scoring offense, leading to a four-win improvement from their 2016 campaign.

While at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Bowen saw four of his five sophomore offensive linemen sign with FBS teams. He tutored first-team all-conference linemen Larry Joubert and Sammy Bernard as well as honorable mention all-conference selections Davis Harker and Kris’Sean Edwards. Joubert signed with Oklahoma State, Bernard with New Mexico, and Harker and Edwards earned scholarships at New Mexico State. Bowen’s offensive line helped the Golden Norse average 40 points and 530 yards of total offense per game in 2016, increasing their scoring by a touchdown and upping their yardage by more than 130 yards per game.

Bowen was an integral part of Northwestern State setting a multitude of single-season program records on offense in 2014. He assisted in building an offensive line that helped Northwestern State accumulate a school-record 4,948 yards of total offense, while setting additional single-season marks for first downs (274), first downs through the air (140), completions (262), completion percentage (67.2) and passing yardage (2,864).

Bowen served as a graduate assistant for the offensive line and tight ends during UTSA’s first three seasons of competition (2011-13). Bowen helped UTSA to an 8-4 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the Western Athletic Conference in the program’s second season of existence in 2012. The campaign was highlighted by historic wins against South Alabama, the program’s first road and FBS victory, and New Mexico State, its first conference win. The offense averaged 31.2 points and 390.2 yards per game as the offensive line paved the way for 1,911 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, allowing just seven sacks in 368 passing attempts. Bowen worked directly with offensive guard Scott Inskeep, who earned All-WAC Second Team honors.

Bowen started his coaching career as a graduate assistant and interior offensive line coach at Texas State in 2010 and was responsible for both the centers and guards.

“I’m very excited to move to the Valley and have the chance to make history here,” Bowen said “It’s a huge blessing to not only be a part of this, but get to work with Coach Bush again, someone who I know is an incredible leader. We’re going to do something special here and #RallyTheValley behind a program of which everyone can be proud.”

A native of North Richland Hills, Texas, Bowen was an offensive lineman at Texas State from 2006-08. As a senior, Bowen earned All-Southland First Team and honorable mention FCS All-American accolades while also earning the Bobcats’ John O’Hara Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award. Additionally, he was a member of the Southland Commissioner’s Honor Roll in both 2007 and 2008.

Bowen began his collegiate football career at East Texas Baptist University where he was named team captain as a sophomore in 2005.

As a prep player, Bowen was a three-year letter winner at Birdville High School near Fort Worth. A two-year team captain, he earned first-team all-district honors as a senior and was an honorable mention selection as a junior.

Bowen graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas State in 2008 before earning a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from UTSA in 2013.

The UTRGV baseball team fell to the California Baptist Lancers 8-3 on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium to lose its WAC opening series 1-2.

Down 8-0, the Vaqueros (9-6, 1-2 WAC) got on the board in the fifth, loading the bases on one-out walks before graduate student Brandon Pimentel hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-1.

In the seventh, the Vaqueros put runners at first and second with nobody out. Pimentel singled to left. The ball was bobbled, allowing sophomore Vela alum Isaac Lopez to score and graduate student Montclair Cain to move to third. Cain scored on a wild pitch to make the score 8-3.

Senior Roberto Gonzalez led the Vaqueros by going a career-best 4-for-5 with a double. Pimentel finished 2-for-4. Cain drew a career-high three walks.

The Lancers (8-7, 2-1 WAC) pushed across a pair of unearned runs against graduate studentColten Davis (2-1) in the second, as with two on and two out, CJ Masciel and Julian Alvarez hit RBI-singles to make the score 2-0.

The Lancers strung together four-straight hits after the first batter was retired in the third, including RBI-singles by Garret Ostrander and Connor McGuire, to go up 4-0.

The Lancers added another unearned run in the fourth as, with Alvarez at second and two outs, a pitch in the dirt caused Alvarez to take off for third. Senior Vela alum RJ Ochoa picked up the ball and took a few steps toward Alvarez, who froze. Ochoa threw to second, but the throw went into center field, allowing Alvarez to score to make the score 5-0.

That made a winner of Jacob Wilson (5-0), who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.

UTRGV hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, on $2 Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at UTRGV Baseball Stadium. General admission tickets and select concession items are available for $2 or less. Tickets are on sale now atUTRGVTickets.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.

The UTRGV baseball team earned its first Western Athletic Conference (WAC) victory of the season, 7-0 over the California Baptist University Lancers on Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.

The Vaqueros (9-5, 1-1 WAC) jumped on Lancers (7-7, 1-1 WAC) starter Spencer Bengard (0-1) right away, starting the first inning with three-straight singles, the last of which was an RBI-single by graduate student Montclair Cain. Graduate student Brandon Pimentel followed with an RBI-double and then sophomore Steven Lancia launched his first-career home run, a three-run shot, to cap the inning with the score 5-0. Lancia’s home run traveled 422 feet, leaving the bat at 102 miles per hour.

Bengard retired the next four baters before walking senior Zerek Saenz on four pitches with one out in the second. Sophomore Vela alum Isaac Lopez followed with an RBI-triple down the right field line to knock out Bengard and make the score 6-0.

The Vaqueros added a run in the fourth on a two-out RBI-single by Pimentel.

Lopez finished 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Saenz scored three runs while recording a hit and two walks. Pimentel went 2-for-3 while also getting hit by a pitch.

Junior Angelo Cabral (3-0) made the runs stand up, striking out six while scattering five hits and two walks in 6.0 scoreless innings.

Junior Zach Tjelmeland pitched 3.0 scoreless innings, striking out four, for his second save.

The Vaqueros and Lancers complete this three-game series on Sunday at 12 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at UTRGVTickets.com. Current UTRGV students receive free general admission with their student ID. All fans need to follow the clear bag policy, details of which can be found at GoUTRGV.com/ClearBag. Gates open at 11 a.m.

Fans unable to attend in person can watch domestically on ESPN+ or internationally via WAC International.

UTRGV football has hired Adrian McDonald, who spent the last two seasons as the defensive backs coach, special teams coach and recruiting coordinator at Midwestern State, as the first defensive backs coach in program history.

McDonald competed collegiately at Houston as a safety from 2012-15, the first three seasons of which UTRGV head coach Travis Bush was on the coaching staff in positions including offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

“I can’t tell you how lucky we are that Coach McDonald chose to come to UTRGV,” Bush said. “Adrian is a fast-rising star in the college coaching profession. His experience as a college player and time in the NFL have helped him move up the ladder quick. A high school quarterback turned safety in college, Adrian has extensive knowledge on both sides of the football and great expertise on special teams. He’s already proven to be a great evaluator of talent and will add value to this program immediately. It’s been fun to watch him grow from an outstanding student-athlete to now a fantastic coach. I’m excited to be back on his team again.”

During his two seasons at Midwestern State, McDonald mentored the defensive backs, coordinated passing game and coverages, oversaw special teams, and created scouting reports while helping his team to an aggregate record of 13-8, including two wins over top 25 teams.

McDonald spent the previous two seasons (2019-20) as a defensive graduate assistant at Texas State, where he organized game plans and practices in coordination with then-defensive coordinator Zac Spavital, who coached him during his stellar career at Houston and was hired as Maryland’s safeties coach on Thursday. McDonald also assisted in developing players during practice, primarily working with corners, safeties, and returners.

McDonald began his coaching career as the defensive backs coach while also serving as a special education teacher at Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena in 2018.

“The opportunity to work with Coach Bush after being around him when he was coaching and I was playing at Houston is astounding,” McDonald said. “I know how he is as a coach, and I saw the great job he did as the head coach of those Seguin and Canyon programs. It’s intriguing that he was at UTSA when they started their program. It’s a blessing to be able to work with a guy like Coach Bush and to get to the Valley and start a program. Not many people have the opportunity to be first and I’m excited for what we’re going to be able to accomplish as we #RallyTheValley together.”

A native of Lawton, Okla., McDonald was a standout defensive back/safety at Houston, earning numerous awards, including recognition as a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist and a member of the Wuerffel and Nagurski trophy watch lists, in addition to All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) Second Team, Phill Steele’s AAC Third Team, Dave Campbell’s Preseason Best Defensive Back in Texas, Dave’s Campbell’s Preseason All-Texas First Team, and Athlon Sports and Phill Steele’s Preseason AAC First Team honors while serving as team captain as a senior. McDonald was an All-AAC First Team selection as a junior and ended his career with the Houston career record for interceptions (17) while ranking second in interception return yards (286), third in fumble recoveries (7), and fifth in forced fumbles (7). He put an exclamation point on his career with seven tackles in a Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Florida State.

McDonald spent two seasons in the NFL as a practice squad player with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2016 and the Buffalo Bills on 2017.

McDonald graduated from Houston in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. He earned his Master of Education from Texas State in 2021.

EDINBURG — UTRGV football has found the man to lead its defense in Brian Gamble, a former linebacker at Texas A&M with previous coaching stops at Texas State, Louisiana Tech, Incarnate Word and Houston, who is now the first defensive coordinator in program history.

Gamble spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the inside linebackers coach at Texas State. He contributed to a defensive turnaround in San Marcos which resulted in Texas State’s best defensive production in the program’s FBS history, going back to 2012. Texas State recorded the best total defense (354.3 yards per game), rush defense (111.7 yards/game), scoring defense (25 points/game), tackles for loss (71), yards per play (5.2) and points per drive (2.01) in FBS program history in 2022.

“I’ve known Brian for a long time and I’m extremely excited to finally work alongside him. He will add value to this program in many different areas,” UTRGV football head coach Travis Bush said. “Brian was on the original coaching staff at Incarnate Word when that program started and will add great insight from that experience. As the son of a legendary Texas high school coach, Brian has been around the game his entire life and has great relationships with high school coaches, which will help our recruiting.

“Brian also played at a high level at Texas A&M, he has coached at many levels, and last season he helped coordinate one of the most improved defenses in the country in FBS,” Bush added. “Those experiences have helped him put a package together that will allow the Vaqueros to play an attacking style of defense with multiple fronts and coverages. We can’t wait to get on the road recruiting this spring.”

Gamble was the linebackers coach at Louisiana Tech for three seasons (2018-20). While there, he guided linebackers Trey Baldwin and Tyler Grubbs to Second Team All-Conference USA honors and three Honorable Mention All-C-USA defensive selections in Willie Baker, Collin Scott and Connor Taylor. Baldwin led C-USA with 5.9 solo tackles per game while Grubbs also earned Freshman All-America honors.

Louisiana Tech went 23-13 during Gamble’s tenure, including a 10-win season in 2019 – the first for the program since 1984. The 10th victory was a 14-0 win over Miami in the 2019 Independence Bowl, marking the first shutout in the bowl’s history and the only shutout of the bowl season. Louisiana Tech ranked 30th in the country in scoring defense in 2019 as the Bulldogs allowed just 21.8 points per game – the program’s fewest since 1991.

In 2008, Gamble joined the University of the Incarnate Word’s (UIW) staff as a defensive line coach and spent 10 seasons with the Cardinals. He was named the defensive coordinator in 2012.

Gamble’s first season at UIW saw the Cardinals finish 16th in the nation in tackles for loss per game and 33rd in sacks per game. When Gamble became defensive coordinator, he transitioned the defense to a 3-4 front. UIW finished fourth in the Lonestar Conference in passing yards allowed per game that season (216). In 2013, UIW recorded the first two shutouts in program history and held four opponents to less than 10 points. Four defensive players earned College Sports Madness All-Independent Second or Third Team honors that season.

In 2015, Gamble’s defense ranked first in yards allowed per game among Division I programs in Texas and finished fourth in the Southland Conference in points allowed and third in yards allowed. The UIW defense was 18th in the nation in fourth down conversion percentage, 21st in interceptions, 27th in total first downs allowed, 37th in passing yards allowed per game and 39th in total yards allowed per game.

Gamble also mentored All-America linebacker Myke Tavarres and Second Team All-Region cornerback Devan Avery.

“After talking with Coach Bush and UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque, it was evident that UTRGV is committed to building a program the right way and it was an easy decision that this was something I wanted to be a part of,” Gamble said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to be a coordinator, much less the first in the history of a program. To be able to lay a foundation and set a standard is a great responsibility and privilege. I am looking forward to working with our staff and university to put the best product we can on the field and to groom our young people into something the UTRGV family can be proud of.

“I’d like to thank my wife and kids for all their support in this journey. Thanks to Coach Bush for giving me the opportunity to help build this program from the ground up,” Gamble added. “Having coached at almost all levels of college football and having been a part of highly successful defenses from junior college to FBS, I have gained valuable experience and learned how to be resourceful. I plan to use those experiences to help with what we are building at UTRGV. I want our defense to play smart, fast, and physical for however long it takes and have fun doing it.”

A graduate of Texas A&M, Gamble played for the Aggies from 1999-2002 and was a four-year starting linebacker while earning a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Leadership and Development. He started 46 consecutive games and 47 overall, accumulating 341 total tackles in his career. During his senior season, Gamble ranked second on the team with 82 tackles.

Gamble was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a Second Team Freshman All-America honoree in 1999 after tallying 60 tackles with 10 tackles for loss and two sacks in 10 starts as a freshman. He led Texas A&M with 110 tackles as a sophomore enroute to earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. Gamble was a preseason Third Team All-America selection in 2001 and was on the Butkus Award watch list in 2002. He was voted defensive team captain by his teammates his senior season.

Gamble’s coaching career began at Kilgore College in 2004, when he served as the linebackers coach and helped guide the team to a No. 5 ranking and a 10-2 record. He was a graduate assistant at Houston from 2005-07, contributing to the Cougars winning the 2006 C-USA Championship with a 10-4 record.

A native of Alto, Texas, Gamble and his wife, Stephanie, have one son, Bossley, and two daughters, Madelyn and Maris.

The UTRGV baseball team dropped its first road game of the season, 14-3, against the Rice Owls on Tuesday at Reckling Park in Houston.

UTRGV (8-4) had six players record two hits as the Vaqueros outhit the Owls, 13-8. But six free passes and five hits during the second inning allowed Rice (5-7) a nine-spot to gain control of the game early.

Graduate student left fielder Brandon Pimentel went 2-for-5 with a home run. Senior center fielder Zerek Saenz and redshirt sophomore second baseman Isaac Lopez also went 2-for-5 and Lopez notched one RBI. Senior catcher RJ Ochoa and junior shortstop Kade York were both 2-for-4, and senior third baseman Roberto Gonzalez finished 2-for-3. Graduate student right fielder Montclair Cain tallied one RBI on a sacrifice groundout. Senior RHP J.C. Ariza took the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. UTRGV used eight pitchers in the midweek contest.

Rice’s Pierce Gallo went 3-for-3 with a walk and had three RBI and three runs scored. Connor Walsh went 2-for-3 and drove in five RBI with help from a three-run homerun. Tyler Hamilton earned the win, tossing 2 1/3 innings and allowing one run on four hits and one walk with three strikeouts.

The Vaqueros return to UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg for their Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opening series against California Baptist. Games will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at noon Sunday.