UTSA baseball won its series against Rice University 2-1, culminating with two shutout victories in a row over the weekend at Reckling Park.
Rice (19-14, 4-5 AC) walked off UTSA (22-10, 6-3 AC) in extra innings to win 3-2 in game one, bringing home the final run on a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning. In game two, graduate student pitcher Conor Myles allowed two hits and zero runs over 6.1 innings, and UTSA scored seven runs in the final three innings to take the game 8-0 and tie the series. In the final game, the Roadrunners recorded 14 hits and scored 13 runs by the seventh inning to end the contest 13-0 and take the series in run-rule fashion.
The victory gives UTSA a 3-0 record in conference series this season, with all three decided by rubber-match victories.
Game One
Senior pitcher Gunnar Brown did the lion’s share of the work on the mound for UTSA, throwing six innings and allowing four hits, one run and two walks. The teams exchanged one-run scores early, and the game remained tied at 2-2 from the fourth inning on. Senior stopper Sam Simmons replaced Brown at the start of the eighth inning and commanded the ‘Runners into extras. After Rice recorded two singles with one out in the 10th, and first base open, coach Pat Hallmark intentionally walked the next Owls batter to load the bags. UTSA recorded the second out with a force-out play at home, but Simmons walked the next batter on a full count to give Rice the game one victory. Graduate catcher Andrew Stucky scored the ‘Runners’ only RBI of the game with a solo home run in the second inning.
Game Two
Behind Myles’ dominance on the mound, UTSA maintained a slim 1-0 lead through six innings after scoring on an error in the second. The ‘Runners loaded the bases in the seventh, and senior outfielder Drew Detlefsen recorded the ‘Runners’ first RBI of the game with a single. Junior outfielder Lane Haworth followed with a fielder’s choice RBI, and sophomore utility Caden Miller scored from second base on an error on the play to give UTSA a 4-0 lead. Freshman pitcher Christopher Gutierrez and junior pitcher Connor Kelley finished the job that Myles started, earning UTSA’s second shutout victory of the season. Detlefsen batted 3-for-5 in the game with three RBIs.
Game Three
With the series tied 1-1, senior pitcher Christian Okerholm started the game strong for UTSA, throwing two hitless innings. On offense, the ‘Runners were getting on base early, but stranded seven baserunners over the first three frames. UTSA opened the scoring in the fourth, bringing home two runs with an RBI ground-rule double from Miller and a sacrifice fly from Detlefsen. The ‘Runners broke the game open in the fifth, scoring five runs on three hits, including home runs from Detlefsen and sophomore outfielder Christian Hallmark. Four more runs in the sixth inning and two in the seventh secured the run-rule victory for UTSA, as Gutierrez and junior pitcher Kendall Dove kept the Owls scoreless. Miller scored five RBIs in the game with the ground-rule double and a pair of two-RBI singles, as UTSA outhit the Owls in the final game 14-2.
UTSA will play its next game against Tarleton State University on April 7 at 4 p.m. at Tarleton State Baseball Complex.
