After splitting games in the doubleheader against Northwestern last Saturday, the UTSA baseball rotation pitched a series finale shutout en route to a 2-0 victory on Sunday at Roadrunner Field. Through the slow start of the season, the Roadrunners (10-10) have displayed inconsistencies on defense. However, head coach Pat Hallmark is pleased with his team’s effort in the squad’s second series win over the Wildcats (7-9).
“We’ve pitched pretty well all year but we don’t always play good defense,” coach Pat Hallmark said. “We just kept making the routine plays and that was really nice to see.”
After a combined 28 runs in Saturday’s doubleheader, the series finale was scoreless through five innings. Junior catcher Andrew Stucky got the game’s first run in the bottom of the sixth when he smacked an RBI double into center field to bring Deigo Diaz home. Junior infielder Matt King had a double RBI of his own in the seventh, bringing junior outfielder Mason Lytle in for the 2-0 score.
Senior pitchers Ulises Quiroga and Daniel Garza were the tone-setters on defense, each throwing shutouts. Quiroga started and played through six innings while tossing three strikeouts.
“Today we played good defense,” Hallmark said. “We can do a better job on the offense but overall it was a good game and I’m proud of the guys.”
Quiroga believed the pitching abilities led to the series clinching win.
“We had to attack the zone and deserve to win,” Quiroga said.
The series opener was all UTSA from the start. In the bottom of the first inning, a single from junior utility Broc Parmer combined with an error from the Wildcats’ second baseman pushed senior infielder Alexander Olivio to the plate for an easy score. Three innings later, the ‘Runners tacked on four more runs with an RBI double from senior utility Ty Tilson and a two-run home run from Andrew Stuckey.
Northwestern scored its first runs in the top of the eighth before UTSA responded with three more runs to win 12-2.
The runs flipped in the Wildcats’ favor in game two. After leading 2-0, UTSA allowed six runs in the top of the third which gave Northwestern a lead they wouldn’t give back, winning 10-4. The Wildcats had 15 hits while the ‘Runners had three errors in the blowout loss.
“When you can only throw one pitch for a strike, at this level, they’re going to hit you,” Hallmark said. “That got us in trouble to start and then the defense fell apart.”
In a continuous battle to stay at or above .500, the Roadrunners are still trying to prove they can play good and consistent baseball. The motto for the team all season has been “Pitching and defense,” coined by Hallmark. Yet, through 20 games, the squad has 23 errors and holds a team ERA (earned run average) of 4.76.
UTSA will next face its bitter rival, the Texas State Bobcats, in San Marcos. The single-game series is set to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bobcat Ballpark.
