No. 13 A&M-Victoria's run at RRAC Tournament ends; team awaits Opening Round destination
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SHREVEPORT, La. – The Texas A&M University-Victoria baseball team's run at the Red River Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament came to an end Sunday at Pilot Field after a pair of postseason losses.
The day began with a setback in the winner's bracket semifinals against LSU Shreveport before A&M–Victoria was eliminated later in the day by Texas A&M–Texarkana in an elimination game.
Game 1 vs. LSU Shreveport
LSU Shreveport scored three runs in the eighth inning to pull away from A&M–Victoria and claim an 8-5 victory in the winner's bracket semifinals.
The Pilots struck first with a run in the second inning and added four more in the fourth to open a 5-0 advantage. A&M–Victoria responded with a four-run rally in the fifth to get back into contention. Beck Zimmerman drove in a run with a single, Jose Montanez worked an RBI walk, and Jackson Purcell delivered a two-run single to center to trim the deficit to one.
The Jaguars finished the comeback in the seventh inning when Garrett Smith singled to left field to score Kyle Barosh, tying the game at 5-5. LSU Shreveport answered in the bottom of the eighth as Spencer Sullivan connected on a three-run home run, snapping the tie and swinging momentum back to the Pilots.
LSU Shreveport out-hit the Jaguars 11-8. Zimmerman led A&M–Victoria with a 4-for-4 performance at the plate, while Purcell drove in two runs. Matthew Mejia suffered the loss in relief, allowing three runs in the eighth as the Jaguars went to the elimination bracket.
Game 2 vs. A&M–Texarkana
Texas A&M–Texarkana completed a late comeback to defeat A&M–Victoria 10-9, eliminating the Jaguars from the conference tournament.
A&M–Texarkana scored in the first inning, but the Jaguars took control with a three-run third, keyed by RBI singles from Antonio Benitez, Connor Kaiser, and Garrett Smith. A&M–Victoria extended its lead to 4-1 in the sixth and then erupted for five runs in the seventh inning to surge ahead 9-1.
The seventh-inning outburst featured multiple wild pitches, hit batters, and a two-run single from Beck Zimmerman, who finished with three RBIs. Despite the eight-run cushion, A&M–Victoria was unable to close out the game.
Texas A&M–Texarkana chipped away with three runs in the eighth before plating five more, including three unearned, in the ninth to erase the deficit. Defensive miscues plagued the Jaguars late, as A&M-Victoria committed three errors in the ninth.
Benitez reached base four times and drove in two runs for A&M–Victoria, while Roberto Olguin collected three hits. Quinn Garcia was charged with the loss after allowing the winning run in the ninth.
Next up
The Jaguars, after earning an automatic qualifying spot as RRAC Regular Season champions, will find out which bracket of the NAIA Opening Round they'll travel to at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6.