March 9, 2010
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EDINBURG, Texas – Texas Pan-American’s Troy Green allowed one run on two hits in 4.2 innings of relief as the Broncos rallied from a 6-3 deficit for a 9-7 victory over Notre Dame Tuesday night in college baseball action from Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
Green (1-0) came in and yielded a two-run double off of the bat from senior Casey Martin, which gave the Irish a 6-3 advantage, but proceeded to retire the next fire Notre Dame batters before issuing a walk. Green then sent down nine straight over the sixth, seventh and eighth inning. He struck out three and walked one.
Senior David Mills (0-1) was charged with the loss for the Irish. The southpaw surrendered three runs, only one earned, on five hits in 3.0 innings. Mills did fan three and did not walk a batter.
Sophomore centerfielder Alex Robinson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and four runs scored. The three hits and four runs were career-highs. Senior first baseman Casey Martin went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Senior Ryan Connolly was the only other Irish player with a hit. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored.
UTPA cut into the Irish lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bryant Elliott led of the frame with a single and cruised into third base on Abraham Garcia’s double that ended the day for Irish senior starting pitcher Eric Maust. Mills was called on to face Alex Carnall. The southpaw got Carnall to ground out and then induced another ground out from Vincent Mejia that plated one run to bring the Broncos within two runs, 6-4.
Mills induced his third straight ground ball and appeared to get out of the inning with a two-run lead, but the routine grounder took an awful hop and ricocheted off Irish junior shortstop Mick Doyle’s face. The grounder bounded into short left field, which allowed another runner to score to make the score 6-5.
The Broncos tied the game, 6-6, in large part to an error from Doyle’s defensive replacement junior Greg Sherry in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alex San Juan reached to open the frame when Sherry threw wildly on a grounder and came home on Jose Mendoza’s safety squeeze.
UTPA grabbed its first lead of the evening in the bottom of the seventh with two runs, including another unearned tally. After Mills fanned the first Bronco of the inning, Mejia singled. Mills then fanned Stuart Macinnes for the second out of the inning, but surrendered back-to-back singles, both on 0-2 offerings. The second base hit was mishandled for an error in right field by senior Brayden Ashdown, which allowed Angel Ibanez to score all the way from first base.
UTPA added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning to extend its lead to 9-6.
Notre Dame did score a run in its half of the ninth inning. Robinson led off the inning with a double and scored on junior Matt Scioscia’s RBI ground out, but UTPA closer Guadalupe Barrera closed the door with a pair of strikeouts to record his second save of the season.
Notre Dame grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. In fact, the Irish have scored in the first inning in each of their last five games. With one out, Robinson reached on a two-base error by Macinnes, who bobbled Robinson’s dying liner in right centerfield. After Scioscia struck out, Martin rifled a single through the right side for an RBI base hit.
The Broncos answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the first inning to even the score, 1-1.
Notre Dame regained the lead, 3-1, with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. The Irish opened the frame with back-to-back infield singles from senior Ryan Connolly and Robinson before Scioscia drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Martin followed with another walk to give Notre Dame a 2-1 advantage. After Doyle struck out, Ashdown belted a deep drive to right field that appeared as though it would sail over the head of Carnall, but the ball died in a strong wind blowing directly in from right field. Ashdown would settle for a sacrifice fly that gave the Irish a 3-1 lead.
UTPA answered once again with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to tie the score, 3-3. The Broncos scored their two runs on a walk, infield single, bloop single and perfectly executed safety squeeze.
Notre Dame grabbed its third lead over the first four innings with three runs in the top of the fourth. Robinson registered an RBI single, his first RBI of the season, and Martin later followed with a two-run double to make the score, 6-3. Martin recorded at least one RBI over each of his first three plate appearances of the night.
Neither starting pitcher fared in the decision. Maust was charged with five earned runs on six hits in 4.0 innings of work. The righty struck out three and walked three.
UTPA starting pitcher Kyle Kotchie allowed five runs, four earned, on three hits. The southpaw walked five and fanned four. Kotchie was dominant in his last start at #3 Texas. He struck out 11 and allowed just three hits in 7.0 innings.
Notre Dame returns to action on Wednesday night for the second game of the series with the Broncos. Freshman Patrick Veerkamp will get the start for the Irish. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT.
— ND —