SAN ANTONIO — UTSA baseball closed out its regular season by shutting out Rice University 7-0 on Saturday at Roadrunner Field.
Win or lose, the Roadrunners’ (42-11, 23-4 AAC) matchup against the visiting Owls (17-38, 10-17 AAC) was always going to end in celebration. The team honored its graduating seniors before the game, while awaiting a pre-planned recognition of its American Athletic Conference regular-season title after. All UTSA had to do was handle business in between. The ‘Runners scored in all but two innings, while allowing zero runs on the mound en route to earning their eighth series sweep of the season.
“[The pitchers] were good today,” coach Pat Hallmark said after the game. “They pitched aggressive. We only had one walk. Their lead off in the ninth inning was our first walk. Shut outs are nice but those seven guys that don’t get to pitch a ton, five of them I think pitched today. They pitched a little pissed off. They pitched with a chip on their shoulder, like they want the ball in the postseason. That’s what we wanted to see.”
Senior outfielder James Taussig put UTSA on the board first for the second consecutive game with an RBI single through the middle of the diamond. Sophomore utility Nathan Hodge knocked an RBI single into right field in the second before senior outfielder Mason Lytle brought in Taussig with a sacrifice fly in the third. A wild pitch from Owls pitcher Marco Fuentes in the fourth frame allowed senior catcher Andrew Stucky to score from second base.
Junior pitcher James Hubbard got the start on the mound for UTSA and allowed zero hits, zero runs and tossed four strikeouts in four innings. Hubbard exited the game despite his four-inning no-hitter to prevent injury ahead of the conference tournament.
“His fastball was good. He always has a good fastball and he was beating them with it,” Hallmark said of Hubbard. “They looked a little tired and he was just throwing the fast ball by them — up to 94 [miles-per-hour]. The plan was for him to go to two innings. But he had a no-hitter and I’m like ‘I hate to take out a guy with a no-hitter.’ So I left him in there. Eventually it got to a pitch count that it wasn’t wise to keep leaving him in there. I don’t want him to get hurt chasing a no-hitter.”
The ‘Runners extended their lead in the sixth with a home run over left field from Hodge and an RBI single from junior outfielder Drew Detlefsen. Freshman utility Caden Miller drove in the team’s final run in the seventh with a sacrifice fly out to right field that allowed Lytle to score.
Detlefsen, Hodge and Lytle tied for the lead in hits with two each while Hodge led in RBIs with two as well. UTSA capped off its historic season with a sweep and will now turn its attention to the postseason.
UTSA will look to beat Rice for the fourth-consecutive game in the opening round of the AAC tournament at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Baycare Ballpark.
