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.
“You just gotta shake it off, move on, pretend it never happened, and we’re moving on,” 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 didn’t hit balls very hard.
“We just gotta keep sticking [to] what we do and over the long run, it’s gonna pay off,” Siener said.
Head Coach Derek Matlock said it was tough to get beat up on offense as they did.
“It’s kind of disappointing after the way we swung the bat yesterday. … It’s a consistency thing. … We gotta get more consistent,” Matlock said.
Even after a tough loss, the Vaqueros stayed positive.
“GCU is a good team, that’s for sure,” junior pitcher Chase Adams said. “Definitely, missed a couple pitches, but we’ll get ’em next time.”
However, Adams said he will look to improve.
“After this game, I’m just gonna try to give our team a chance to win every time I go out there,” he said.
For now, the Vaqueros are pushing forward to finish the season strong.
“We just gotta get back to compete, and fight and getting better every day,” Matlock said. “… There’s losing in the blood. … There’s no way around it. … I knew that when I took the job … and the only way you get out of the blood is by winning.”
The Vaqueros have seven more teams to try to defeat before the WAC Tournament May 23 in Mesa, Arizona.
“We have great players and we have great kids, and we have kids that wanna compete and we’re getting better. … We gotta keep fighting to get better,” Matlock said.
