The UTSA Roadrunners (3-0, 0-0 C-USA) swept the St. Peter’s Peacocks (0-3, 0-0), Feb. 14-16 at Roadrunner Field.

A beautifully warm Valentine’s Day quickly turned into a long and chilly night. The Roadrunners narrowly slipped by the St. Peter’s Peacocks, winning 1-0 in the tenth inning of their first game of the series. A sacrifice fly by RJ Perucki would give the Roadrunners their first win of the 2014 season, and in dramatic fashion.

“Yeah, ya know, that’s Opening Day,” UTSA Head Coach Jason Marshall said after the dramatic win.

It was indeed a particularly ominous opening day for offense, as the Roadrunners could not find their wheelhouse and were continuously stifled at the plate. Both teams would combine for five hits, but it was UTSA’s tiebreaker that proved to be enough to give them the victory.

However, fans in search of prime-time pitching were not disappointed. Sophomore pitcher Brock Hartson and junior pitcher Logan Onda collectively threw 10 shutout innings and held St. Peter’s long enough for UTSA’s offense to catch fire.

“I was very proud; no errors. I thought Brock was good, but Onda was great,” said Coach Marshall on his team’s spectacular pitching performance.

Jitters and nerves seemed to have lingered longer than needed, but game two quickly reminded fans of the power and proficiency that the Roadrunners could dish out.

“We need to come out, settle down and make plays at the plate,” Coach Marshall reiterated going into Saturday’s game.

In the second game of the series the Roadrunners echoed their coach’s sentiments. Taking the early 2-1 lead, UTSA would break away in the fifth, blasting 11 runs, including a grand slam by Senior Leftfielder Tony Ramirez, en route to a 15-3 pummeling of the Peacocks.

“I was just looking for a good pitch, and we always talk about being selective with our pitches. I saw a fastball wasn’t a strike, but then he hung a slider up, and I took it,” said Ramirez after the game. “We have always been known for our offense, but we have definitely added some depth to our pitching.”

Ramirez would end the game with two walks and four RBI’s, including his game changing grand slam.

UTSA’s pitching would hold St. Peter’s to three runs on 11 hits. St. Peter’s bullpen had six pitching changes throughout the game, struggling to keep up with the Roadrunners’ blistering pace.

The Roadrunners came into their final game of the weekend continuing their offensive dominance. UTSA would score in what seemed like every inning, and finished their sweep of the Peacocks, 14-0 in a mercy-ruled game.

Junior Justin Anderson proved to be too fast for the Peacock offense as he delivered five solid innings and was clocked throwing as fast as 94mph.

“Justin’s made a big jump in his velocity, and he’s just a strike thrower,” said Coach Marshall on Anderson’s performance after UTSA’s final game.

The Roadrunners pitching and defensive play was sensational throughout the weekend and should only improve as the season pushes forward.

Senior infielder RJ Puruki led the charge on offense Sunday, as he went 4-4 with four RBI’s and three runs scored.

“We pitched the heck out of this weekend. We had one walk in the last two ball games and one error. Throwing strikes and playing quality defense gives your team a chance to win,” said Coach Marshall at the end of the three game series.

The Roadrunners (3-0, 0-0) will take the mound at home again Tuesday against Houston Baptist (3-0, 0-0) for one game before heading to face Corpus Christi in the Kleberg Bank College Classic.