Texas College proved armed and dangerous one game and just the opposite the next to settle for a split in a key Red River Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader on Friday.

Evander Ledward hurled a complete-game, four-hitter to lead Texas College to a 2-1 win in Game 1 before UT Brownsville bounced back with its offensive attack to prevail 14-4 in Game 2 at the Steers’ field.

The Steers played both games without head coach Freddy Rodriguez, who was suspended for the doubleheader after getting ejected in last week’s controversial series at Texas Southern, his second time to get tossed this year. Nick Pena, a graduate assistant coach, directed the Steers in Game 1. TC assistant Mike Holochuck, who sat out the first game after also being ejected versus TSU, took over the coaching duties in Game 2.

TC (19-19-1, 10-8-1 in RRAC) needed to take all three games of the series to move into a virtual tie with UT Brownsville, currently in second at 14-6 in the league standings behind top-ranked LSU-Shreveport, which received one of its three losses on the year courtesy the Steers.

Game 1

TC scored first after Tristen Neal (3 for 3, run) led off with a single and scored on a grounder by Agustin Enriquez.

UTB matched TC’s run on an RBI-double by K.J. Semien in the fourth.

In the bottom half of the same inning TC regained the lead after Jose Serna (2 for 3, run) singled and Juan Carillo followed with an RBI-double.

Ledward allowed only two baserunners the next two innings and retired the first two batters of the seventh. After giving up a walk and hitting a batter, Ledward induced a fly ball to right field to end the game.

Ledward, who came out the bullpen in his first six appearances and leads the team in earned-run average (0.84), made the rare start with pitcher David Kipp serving a four-game suspension also for events in the TSU series. Ledward, a sophomore lefty, struck out four and walked three.

Game 2

UTB’s offense came to life thanks to the efforts of Peter Maldonado (3 for 4, three RBIs), Robert Garza (2 for 5, four runs), Zach Cordia (1 for 5, three RBIs), Juan Munoz (2 for 4, two doubles) and Joel Fernandez (three RBIs).

Cordia laced a two-run triple after TC’s Chris Blackmon hit the first two batters to start the game. Munoz and Garza both doubled and scored in the second. Garza ripped a solo homer in the fourth to extend UTB’s lead to 6-1.

The Steers scored three runs in the fourth, but even that inning ended in odd fashion after Neal (1 for 3, two RBIs) was thrown out at third following a two-run double to pull TC within 6-4.

The Scorpions struck seven runs off five hits the next two innings, capped by Maldonado’s two-run double in the seventh to make it 13-4.

UTB pitcher Zach Armstrong retired straight 10 batters after Neal’s double and the last five after giving up back-to-back singles to Agustin Enriquez (2 for 4) and Serna.

Blackmon lasted five innings, allowing nine hits and seven runs with five strikeouts and one walk.

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Game 1

Texas College 2, UT Brownsville 1

UTB 000 100 0 — 1 4 0

TC 100 100 X — 2 8 3

Adam Vera and Gus Henggler; Evander Ledward and Blaine Shackelford. W – Ledward; L – Vera. 2B – UTB: K.J. Semien; TC: Tristen Neal, Juan Carillo. SF – UTB: Zach Cordia. SH – TC: Carillo. CS – TC: Neal, Jose Serna.

Game 2

UT Brownsville 14, Texas College 4

UTB 320 104 301 — 14 17 1

TC 010 300 000 — 4 7 3

Zach Armstrong and Juan Munoz; Chris Blackmon, Colby Ryan (6), Houston Creighton (8), Caleb Hensley (9) and Blaine Shackelford. W – Armstrong; L – Blackmon (5-5). 2B – UTB: Juan Munoz (2), Robert Garza, Ricardo Alanis, Kyle Douglass, Peter Maldonado. TC: Tristen Neal. 3B – UTB: Zach Cordia. HR – UTB: Garza (fourth, solo). SF – UTB: Joel Fernandez (2). SB – TC: Cody Stifle. CS – UTB: K.J. Semien, Douglass, Alanis; TC: Neal.

RECORDS — UT Brownsville 26-18 (14-6); Texas College 19-19-1 (10-8-1).

NEXT UP — UT Brownsville at Texas College, noon Saturday.