SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team opened up Conference USA action with an 8-2 victory over conference powerhouse Florida Atlantic on Friday night at Roadrunner Field.
QUICK HITS
- Friday ace Luke Malone earned his second win (2-2) of the season, fanning six and allowing just one earned run in 7.1 innings pitched.
- Simon Miller continues to be dominant on the mound, not allowing a single hit in the final 1.2 innings of the game.
- Shane Sirdashney and Caleb Hill each notched a team-high three hits. Sirdashney paired his hits with two runs and a RBI, while Hill collected two RBI, a double and a triple.
- Antonio Valdez has reached base in all 19 games this season.
- Barry has extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
- The Roadrunners are currently on a seven-game winning streak, tied for their longest streak since joining the Conference USA in 2013 and fourth longest streak overall since the first season of baseball at UTSA in 1992.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
UTSA opened up scoring early as a triple by Hill drove in two runs to give the Roadrunners a 2-0 lead. The next couple of innings went scoreless as Malone and FAU's Hunter Cooley dominated on the mound. The Owls got their first run on the board in the fourth inning, cutting UTSA's advantage to 2-1 in the process.
The Roadrunners added some insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth as singles by Sirdashney and Josh Killeen drove in three more. A sacrifice fly by Florida Atlantic cut into UTSA's lead again in the top of the sixth, getting it to a 5-2 score in favor of the Roadrunners. UTSA responded with a trio more across the plate in the bottom of the frame. With the bases loaded and just one out, a wild pitch brought home Dalton Porter. Then, Valdez hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Isaiah Walker. Matt King concluded scoring as he singled to drive in Barry.
The last few innings saw some base runners but the pitching on either side was the highlight. Miller came in to relieve Malone with one out and one runner on base in the top of the eighth and he proceeded to sit down the Owls with a strikeout and fielder's choice to prevent any damage. After walking the first batter in the top of the ninth, a double play and strikeout by Miller completed the third straight scoreless inning. UTSA opened up its Conference USA schedule with an 8-2 win over Florida Atlantic.
The Roadrunners improve to an 16-3 record and open up conference play 1-0, while Florida Atlantic falls to a 12-7 record and 0-1 in C-USA action.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners and Owls face off in game two of the three-game conference series on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at Roadrunner Field.
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