No. 8 A&M-Victoria baseball claims first-ever RRAC regular season title despite Friday split
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final (11) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 2 |
Despite splitting a Red River Athletic Conference doubleheader with the University of the Southwest on Friday in Hobbs, N.M., the Texas A&M University-Victoria baseball team secured the program's first-ever RRAC regular season championship.
A&M–Victoria (33-11, 21-4 RRAC) earned the title after losses by LSU Shreveport and LSU Alexandria elsewhere in conference play on Friday.
It marks the Jaguars' fourth conference championship in program history and their first at the RRAC level. The Jaguars opened the day with a convincing win before falling in an extra-inning thriller in the nightcap against Southwest (13-30, 9-16 RRAC).
Game 1: A&M–Victoria 6, Southwest 1
The Jaguars controlled the opener from the middle innings on, using a six-run stretch from the fourth through sixth innings to pull away for a 6-1 victory.
Southwest struck first in the bottom of the second, scoring on a double-play grounder, but A&M–Victoria responded immediately. Antonio Benitez tied the game in the fourth with an RBI single before Beck Zimmerman followed with a two-run single to give the Jaguars a 3-1 lead.
A&M–Victoria continued to add on, as Roberto Olguin delivered a two-run double in the fifth and Zimmerman capped his three-RBI day with another RBI single in the sixth. Benitez finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, while Olguin and Zimmerman combined for five RBIs.
Jonathan Jones earned the complete-game victory, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six over seven innings.
Game 2: Southwest 8, A&M–Victoria 7 (11 innings)
The nightcap turned into a back-and-forth battle that required 11 innings, with Southwest ultimately walking off with an 8-7 victory on a bases-loaded RBI single by Santiago Garcia.
A&M–Victoria jumped ahead early but had to erase multiple deficits. The Jaguars scored four runs in the third inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Jackson Purcell, to take a 5-2 lead. Southwest answered with late runs, including a three-run eighth to move in front.
The Jaguars forced extra innings with a run in the ninth on a fielding error, but Southwest sealed the win in the bottom of the 11th. Southwest totaled 15 hits in the game, while the Jaguars drew nine walks and used timely hitting to stay within reach throughout.
Next up
The Jaguars and Mustangs wrap up the three-game series in Hobbs at 1 p.m. CT on Friday.