SAN ANTONIO — UTSA baseball left 10 runners on base in its 7-5 loss to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Sunday at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners (27-13, 10-5 American) had plenty of chances to secure their first American Conference sweep of the season in their finale against the free-falling 49ers (19-20, 4-11 American), who entered Sunday on a 10-game skid. In the first inning, UTSA loaded the bags with zero outs but left the inning with just one run. The Roadrunners stalled offensively until the later innings, where they cut into their deficit with four runs across the sixth, seventh and eighth. UTSA could not muster up the tying run in its final opportunities at the plate, resulting in its fifth American defeat.
“I was impressed with Charlotte. I give those guys a lot of credit,” coach Pat Hallmark said after the game. “They were on a bit of a losing spell and they played very well [today]. We didn’t play bad. I just thought we had a couple holes that hurt us a bit, but mostly I tip my cap to Charlotte and their coaches.”
With the bases loaded in the first, Charlotte pitcher Jaden Winter hit graduate catcher Andrew Stucky with a pitch, allowing sophomore utility Caden Miller to walk home. In the next two at-bats, sophomore outfielder Christian Hallmark grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, and sophomore utility Jacob Silva popped out to left field, ending the inning.
“The first strike was a tough call, but I think it discombobulated Christian a bit,” Pat Hallmark explained. He saw two more strikes to work with and he was early on both. So, that was disappointing.”
Charlotte tied the game in the third before scoring five runs in the fifth and sixth.
Junior infielder Diego Diaz ended the Roadrunners’ scoring drought in the bottom half of the sixth with an RBI single up the center of the diamond. In the seventh, senior outfielder Drew Detlefsen made the game interesting with a two-run double. Miller made it a two-score game in the eighth with his first RBI infield single, but Detlefsen grounded out in the next at-bat, ending the inning and stranding two runners. Christian Hallmark singled in the bottom of the ninth, but no runs crossed the plate for UTSA.
Junior pitcher Kendall Dove started for the first time since the Roadrunners’ American opener against Florida Atlantic University. Dove allowed eight hits, four runs, four walks and dished out four strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Jake Qualia made his first appearance in 19 days and allowed zero runs and tossed four strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work.
UTSA will face No. 10 Texas A&M University at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Bell Park.
