UTSA baseball conquered Florida Atlantic University 10-7 on Friday at Roadrunner Field.
After trailing behind for four innings, the Roadrunners (21-7, 3-1 AAC) battled back in the sixth and seventh — scoring five runs and putting a stop to the Owls (19-7, 2-2 AAC) dominant performance. The ‘Runners held Florida Atlantic scoreless during the middle innings, and freshman utility Caden Miller picked up four RBIs and scored both the first and last point of the game as the Owls stumbled near the end.
“We’re a gritty team when we face adversity,” Miller said about the team’s performance. “We keep punching and going. That’s big for any team, and I think this team has a lot of fight, and we just keep going no matter what’s going on.”
Shoving the Roadrunners into a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, Miller singled down the left field line, bringing freshman utility Nathan Hodge and freshman infielder Jordan Ballin in for the second and third runs of the inning. Before that, Ballin ripped an RBI single, allowing senior catcher Andrew Stucky to score from second base.
After holding the Owls scoreless in the top of the third, Miller launched a two-run home run over the center field wall, cutting the Roadrunners’ deficit to two.
“He’s a mature kid,” coach Pat Hallmark said about Miller. “Sometimes the emotions work against the young players, but so far, we’re able to let the emotion work for us with very calm people in the batter’s box. Calm hitters make good decisions.”
Senior outfielder James Taussig put up the first run of the game for UTSA with a sacrifice fly out to left field, allowing Miller to reach home.
The Owls put their first points on the board at the top of the second inning with a grand slam from outfielder Marshall Lipsey, sending them ahead 5-1. With the bases loaded, junior pitcher Zach Royse threw a ball that struck infielder Brando Leroux, earning a walk and bringing catcher Ayden Garcia in to score.
Florida Atlantic garnered 10 hits and seven RBIs in contrast to UTSA’s seven hits and nine RBIs.
“Staying simple, staying relaxed, loose and just trusting what got me here,” Miller said of his mindset. “Each day is a building block, whether it’s good or bad. Keep going and attacking to be ready for tomorrow.”
The Roadrunners will continue their conference home opener at 4 p.m. Saturday at Roadrunner Field.
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