SAN ANTONIO – UTSA baseball run-ruled Houston 12-2 on Wednesday evening at Roadrunner Field.

The Roadrunners’ (3-1) dominant performance was cut short against the Cougars in the seventh inning after UTSA took the double-digit lead.

After leading the Cougars 5-0 after five innings, the Roadrunners exploded for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to force the run-rule to be called.

UTSA pitcher Simon Miller wasted no time getting the Roadrunner offense back onto the field as he struck out Houston’s three batters.

Shane Sirdashney started the UTSA run with a hit to left field to snag first base. Garrett Poston was walked on the next at-bat.

Matt King launched the ball back into left field to bring Sirdashney and Poston home. Outfielder Clark Henry continued the ‘Runners hitting streak, also hitting the ball deep into left field, causing one fan to say, “He hit it in the same spot.”

With that, King ran home, and Henry managed to run all the way to third, but as the ball was thrown in an attempt to get Henry out before he reached third base, the third baseman dropped the ball, and Henry wasted no time in racing home. The whole team came from the dugout and flooded right field to congratulate King and Henry. 

With Leyton Barry on third base and Antonio Valdez on second, outfielder Caleb Hill hit the ball just past the pitcher’s mound, advancing Barry home for the sixth-inning run.

Going through a full UTSA batting rotation and three different Cougar pitchers, the ‘Runners scored a total of six runs during the bottom of the sixth, while the Cougars were held scoreless until the top of the seventh.

“Yeah, we didn’t anticipate going back through the lineup, but we were talking about just having a good at-bat,” coach Pat Hallmark chuckled. “Hitting is difficult. Pitchers have all kinds of pitches in their repertoire, so we’re really just trying to pick up good pitches and have a positive swing.”

Pitcher Ryan Ward initially set the standard for the night after he quickly struck out three Houston players in the top of the first. 

King brought in Sirdashney in the bottom of the first inning to put the Roadrunners on the board. King led the team by going 3 for 5 at the plate with two RBIs.

“I’ve been leading off [for] a couple of games,” Sirdashney said of his first run. “I was kind of just looking for a good pitch to hit and just find a way on; that’s my role on the team.”

Poston and King both scored runs in the bottom of the third inning. 

King and infielder Valdez added two more runs during the bottom of the fifth inning.

The UTSA baseball team will next play against Saint Mary’s for a four-game home series. The first game against the Gaels will start at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, at Roadrunner Field.