Senior Roberto Gonzalez hit a pair of three-run home runs to power the UTRGV baseball team to a 9-6 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets on Sunday at John Smith Field in Sacramento, California.
Gonzalez hit his home runs in the third to put the Vaqueros (26-20, 12-12 WAC) up 4-2 and the fifth to make the score 7-2.
Gonzalez finished 2-for-5 with a career-high six RBIs and two runs scored. It was his first-career multi home run game. Gonzalez now has six home runs this season.
Gonzalez is the second Vaquero to hit a pair of 3-run home runs and drive-in six runs in a game this season, following junior PSJA High alumnus Jacob Sanchez, who did so at New Mexico State on March 26. This is the program’s fifth six-RBI game since 2008, along with Brandon Pimentel, who also hit two 3-run home runs against George Washington on Feb. 20, 2022, Vinnie Mejia against Louisiana Tech on March 5, 2010, and Jordan Rutenbar against Northern Colorado on May 3, 2008.
The Vaqueros hit three home runs in the game, as sophomore Steven Lancia hit a solo shot to dead center off Cooper Rons (3-3) to bring the Vaqueros within 2-1 in the second. Lancia now has six home runs this season.
The Vaqueros also scored on a two-out, RBI single by junior Kade York in the eighth to go up 8-3 and a two-out, RBI double by graduate student Montclair Cain in the ninth to go up 9-6.
York finished 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Pimentel went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Sophomore Edinburg Vela alumnus Isaac Lopez went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two runs scored. Junior Adrian Torres finished 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
Senior Colten Davis (4-2) made the runs stand up, striking out seven while allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in 5.0 innings.
Graduate student Jesus Aldaz pitched the final 4.0 innings for his second save.
The Hornets (24-24, 10-14 WAC) scored their runs against Davis in the first, as Martin Vincelli-Simard hit a 2-run home run.
Vincelli-Simard added an RBI-single in the seventh to bring the Hornets within 7-3.
The Hornets loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, setting up a 3-run double by Jorge Bojorquez to make the score 8-6.
UTRGV concludes this eight-game road trip at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Texas A&M, a team receiving votes in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. Fans can watch on the SEC Network+.