Courtesy of Will Tallent / The Paisano
Baseball is a game of momentum. Every swing of the bat, perfectly placed pitched and mistake can change the outcome of a game or a series.
After UTSA defeated Baylor, 5-3, on March 26, the Roadrunners had momentum on their side. But when they took on the San Jose State Spartans (SJSU) the mistakes they made quickly deflated their momentum.
Michael Kraft took the mound in game one against the Spartans. The Spartans scored two runs in the top of the first, but UTSA answered back with two runs in the bottom frame. Kraft and the ‘Runners struggled in the second inning by giving up five runs. Although UTSA had 13 hits ,they couldn’t recover from their early struggles and went on to lose 12-4.
“We just got punched in the gut to start the game and we couldn’t recover,” said Coach Marshall. “The tempo of the game was set from the beginning. We just couldn’t breakthrough and change that momentum.”
UTSA’s mistakes and struggles continued during game two. SJSU scored three runs in the top of the first inning. UTSA answered the Spartans three runs by scoring five runs in four innings to take a 5-3 lead.
After giving up 3 runs in the first, UTSA starter Jordan Pacheco kept the Spartans off the board until the fifth inning where the Spartans scored four runs reclaimed the lead and never looked back.
The Spartans added an additional four runs and clinched the series victory with an 11-7 win over UTSA.