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For Immediate Release: February 17, 2002 BRONCS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AT MCNEESE STATE
LAKE CHARLES, LA –For six innings, The University
of Texas-Pan American’s baseball team’s bats were silent in their
game against McNeese State Sunday afternoon. Then the Broncs erupted. They scored eight runs in
two at-bats and took an 8-7 lead, but the Cowboys came back and claimed
a 9-8, 10-inning victory in the final game of their three-game series at
Cowboy Diamond. UTPA had been shut out on five hits through the
first six innings, but things changed in the seventh. Junior right
fielder Skip Weast (Inola, OK/Inola HS/Crowder JC) led off with a
single, and junior catcher Sean Flynn (Bradenton, Fl/Bradenton Christian
School) followed with a two-run homer. The Broncs came all the way back in the eighth.
Senior second baseman Sergio Pompa (Mission, TX/Mission HS), junior
designated hitter Jarrad Maddox (Houston, TX/Jersey Village HS/Northern
Arkansas CC), sophomore third baseman Matt Sisk (Fort Worth, TX/New
Mexico/Arlington Heights HS) and Weast all singled, scoring one run.
Flynn’s infield out scored another, a single by junior left fielder
Bruce Kennedy (Mansfield, TX/Mansfield HS/Northeast Texas CC) scored a
third, and freshman first baseman Carlos Gallardo’s (Mission,
TX/Sharyland HS) infield out cut MSU’s lead to 7-6. Kennedy scored on
a wild pitch by reliever Jared Gothreaux to tie the game, and freshman
center fielder Jonathan Mason (San Antonio, TX/Jay HS) scored on Walt
Nolen’s wild pitch to put the Broncs ahead. McNeese tied the game in the bottom of the eighth.
Left fielder Dooley Prince was hit by a pitch,
stole second, and scored on a double by first baseman Tommy
Eubanks. The Cowboys scored the winning run in the bottom of
the tenth. Derek Bordelon walked and stole second. With two outs,
Eubanks was intentionally walked, and catcher Matt Boyles reached on
Pompa’s error. Designated hitter Therrance Chretien followed with a
single, scoring Bordelon with the winning run. Shortstop Derek Hebert’s bases-loaded triple
keyed a four-run first inning for MSU. Catcher Ran prince doubled home a
run in the Cowboys’ two-run fourth, and Jesse Cassard’s RBI single
in the fifth made it 7-0, Cowboys, before the Broncs began their
comeback. Senior righthander Justin Dowd (Waxahachie, TX/Waxahachie HS/Navarro
JC) pitched the first six innings
for UTPA. Only two of the seven runs he was charged with were earned.
Senior Mike Killian (Santa Fe, TX/Santa Fe HS/Hill JC) pitched a
scoreless seventh, and senior Jacob Pierce (Longview, TX/Longview
HS/Navarro JC), the final Bronc pitcher, was the loser. Pierce’s
record dropped to 0-1. Laine McKeller and Seth
LaStrapes combined for six scoreless innings before the Broncs scored
eight runs in 1 2/3 innings against Chris Bonvillian and Jared Gothreaux.
Josh Hansen, the sixth and final Cowboy pitcher, worked 2 1/3 scoreless
innings to get the victory and improve to 1-0. The Broncs fell to 1-7 with the defeat, while the Cowboys improved to 5-3 with the victory. UTPA will return home to begin a five-game home stand when they play Illinois Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium. BBMCNEESE3021702
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