EDINBURG, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley took advantage of a throwing error in the bottom of the ninth to sneak past the University of Maine baseball team, 4-3, on Friday night at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.
 
With the win, UTRGV moves to 8-6 while the loss bumps Maine to 3-9.
 
After being no-hit through seven innings, the Black Bears took advantage of a new pitcher and scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to tie it up, 3-3.
 
With two outs, Kevin Doody singled towards the shortstop to bring Cody Pasic up to the plate. Pasic sent a ball to left field and reached second base safely. With two on and two out, Jeremy Pena hit his third home run of the season to even up the score, 3-3.
 
Pena finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, one stolen base and one walk. Doody and Pasic both finished 1-for-3. Right-hander Justin Courtney started for Maine, going 3.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three and walking three.
 
The Vaqueros touched Courtney up for a run in the bottom of the second. After back-to-back singles to left, back-to-back walks allowed the hosts to take a 1-0 lead.
 
Matt Geoffrion came on in relief in the bottom of the fourth and eventually got out of a bases loaded jam. Maine pitchers forced UTRGV to strand 11 runners on base through seven innings of play. In the bottom of the seventh, though, Austin Siener knocked a two-run home run to give UTRGV the 3-0 lead.
 
Geoffrion threw 3.0 innings for the Black Bears, giving up two earned runs on one hit while walking four and striking out five. In relief, Connor Johnson struck out two and walked three in two innings of one-hit baseball.
 
UTRGV finished with five hits to Maine's three, while the Black Bears had two errors to the Vaqueros' one. UTRGV left 14 runners on base and Maine stranded two.
 
Maine and UTRGV will meet for a doubleheader tomorrow, with the first pitch of the first end set for 4:00 p.m.
 
-UMaine-