UTRGV came up short on the diamond last weekend, winning only one of a three-game conference home series against Grand Canyon University.
The Vaqueros won their second matchup against the Lopes on Saturday, 9-1, in Edinburg.
Despite a tough loss, the players kept their heads up through it all.
โYou just gotta shake it off, move on, pretend it never happened, and weโre moving on,โ said senior infielder Austin Siener, who scored the single run for the home team.
Getting one single hit from Siener in the ninth inning put the team in a rough position that afternoon, when GCU responded by capitalizing on a strikeout and double play.
He admitted the loss was tough on the team as they didnโt hit balls very hard.
โWe just gotta keep sticking [to] what we do and over the long run, itโs gonna pay off,โ Siener said.
Head Coach Derek Matlock said it was tough to get beat up on offense as they did.
โItโs kind of disappointing after the way we swung the bat yesterday. โฆ Itโs a consistency thing. โฆ We gotta get more consistent,โ Matlock said.
Even after a tough loss, the Vaqueros stayed positive.
โGCU is a good team, thatโs for sure,โ junior pitcher Chase Adams said. โDefinitely, missed a couple pitches, but weโll get โem next time.โ
However, Adams said he will look to improve.
โAfter this game, Iโm just gonna try to give our team a chance to win every time I go out there,โ he said.
For now, the Vaqueros are pushing forward to finish the season strong.
โWe just gotta get back to compete, and fight and getting better every day,โ Matlock said. โโฆ Thereโs losing in the blood. โฆ Thereโs no way around it. โฆ I knew that when I took the job โฆ and the only way you get out of the blood is by winning.โ
The Vaqueros have seven more teams to try to defeat before the WAC Tournament May 23 in Mesa, Arizona.
โWe have great players and we have great kids, and we have kids that wanna compete and weโre getting better. โฆ We gotta keep fighting to get better,โ Matlock said.
