Broncos win 2nd straight, rout WhiteWings 11-4

HARLINGEN — The Laredo Broncos sent 13 men to the plate and scored eight runs in the fifth inning to help lead them to a 11-4 victory over the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings at Harlingen Field on Wednesday.

With the game tied at one, Luis Ugueto led off the fifth with a walk against Maximino de la Cruz (0-2). Miguel Ortiz followed with a single. One out later, Argelis Nunez hit a two-run double and moved to third on a balk. David Cardona then hit an RBI-single to knock out de la Cruz.

Todd Lutz came in and gave up a single to Rafael Ozuna, who moved to second on the throw to third to try to get Cardona. O.J. Garza hit a grounder to short, but Joaquin Rodriguez’s throw to the plate was not in time as Cardona scored. Robert Moron followed with an RBI-single and Jake Wells hit a two-run single, moving to second on the throw to the plate. After an infield single by Ugueto moved Wells to third, Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly to cap the inning with the Broncos up 9-1.

That made a winner of Tano Tijerina (1-1), who gave up one run on four hits in five innings while walking seven and striking out five. The WhiteWings stranded a runner at third base in four of Tijerina’s five innings. The only inning in which they didn’t was the third, when Agustin Septimo led off with a walk and moved to third on a wild pick-off attempt before scoring on a one-out single by Alberto Cruz. That tied the game 1-1 at the time.

The Broncos started the scoring against de la Cruz in the second when Garza hit a two-out single, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Moron.

The WhiteWings had a chance to answer in the bottom of the second with Welinson Baez on third Rodriguez on second with nobody out, but Tijerina struck out Justin Holloway, Casey Allen and Stephen Ward to end the inning.

They added two runs against Lutz in the top of the eighth. Ugueto led off with a walk and moved to third on a double by Ortiz. Mendez hit a sacrifice fly and Nunez hit an RBI-double to make it 11-1.

In the bottom of the eighth against Nathan Crawford, Allen reached on an infield single. With one out, Septimo walked. One out later, Cruz walked to load the bases. Brian Nichols followed with a bases-clearing double to make it 11-4.

The Broncos will begin a four-game series against the San Angelo Colts tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Field.