Moya strikes out 12 in Opening Day victory and split of doubleheader

Julian Moya pitched a three-hit gem and struck out 12 to lead the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College to a 12-1 win in the first game of an Opening Day doubleheader with Wayland Baptist on Friday at Scorpion Field.

The Pioneers won the second game 12-1. The Scorpions, who were 24-32 last year, were swept in four games by the Pioneers to start the 2008 season.

The opening-game victory gave first-year head coach Bryan Aughney his first collegiate win as a head coach.

"Julian threw outstanding. He came out there and did what a No. 1 is supposed to do," Aughney said. "It was huge to open up the new year like that. That's a tribute to the team. They were in the zone."

Scorpions 12, Pioneers 2, first game: The largest crowd to see a Scorpions game in years - 339 people - witnessed a Scorpions explosion of runs and Moya's 80-pitch beauty.

"(The first game) was very exciting," Aughney said. "But I wasn't the one throwing the strikes and making the plays. That's a tribute to the guys."

Wayland Baptist took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Josh Lucas to lead off the third inning before the Scorpions exploded. UTB-TSC scored two runs in the third inning, five in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth.

The Scorpions had 12 hits off three WBU pitchers. Moya went all six innings for the victory, striking out 12 and walking only one. He allowed only three hits, and both runs he allowed were earned.

Five Scorpions had two hits each - Jorge Camorlinga, Ryan Macdonald, Tyler O'Neal, Matt Warner and Gilberto Puente.

Macdonald had four RBIs, and O'Neal added three. Camorlinga scored three runs, and Scott Price, Matt Warner and pinch-runner Walter Blume scored twice.

Pioneers 12, Scorpions 1, second game: Wayland Baptist took advantage of seven Scorpions errors in the second game after UTB-TSC's error-free first game.

"It just shows we lost focus," Aughney said about the errors. "For the defense, that's not a fun lesson to learn but a good lesson, especially running into someone that's hard to hit."

WBU's Christopher McNeil allowed only two Scorpions hits during the second game, striking out six and walking two.

The Pioneers scored two runs in the second and third innings and erupted for eight more runs in the fourth.

UTB-TSC scored its only run in the second inning when Juan Munoz singled and later scored on a Pioneers error. Macdonald had the only other hit for the Scorpions.

UTB-TSC and WBU play another doubleheader at 1 p.m. today at Scorpion Field.