CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The #24 UTSA baseball team split a doubleheader with Charlotte on Thursday at Hayes Stadium, taking the first game by 5-3 before dropping the second game by 12-10 to the 49ers.
Game three of the series is currently set for 6 p.m. ET on Friday night, but is subject to change due to weather as the day goes on. All updates will be made available as received on the baseball social media pages.
QUICK HITS
- Antonio Valdez had a fantastic game one, going 3-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a triple.
- Luke Malone earned his fourth win of the season (4-2) in game one, allowing three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
- Simon Miller earned his fifth save in game one, keeping the 49ers scoreless on just four hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
- In game two, five Roadrunners notched two hits each, including Taylor Smith, Caleb Hill, Shane Sirdashney, Matt King and Isaiah Walker.
- Taylor Smith extended his reached base streak to 25 games, while Caleb Hill extended his reached base streak to 19 games.
- With the doubleheader split, the Roadrunners now hold a 24-8 overall record (9-2 in C-USA), while Charlotte has a 15-15 overall record (6-5 in conference action).
GAME ONE – UTSA 5, Charlotte 3
After two scoreless innings, the 49ers opened scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the third.
The Roadrunners then brought home a trio of runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead. Two singles put runners on first and third, before Sammy Diaz reached on an error by the 49er's pitcher and one run scored on the play. Leyton Barry then reached base on another error to load the bases, before King drew a walk to drive in the go-ahead run. The third error of the inning allowed Walker to reach first as Diaz came in to score on the play.
UTSA extended its lead to 4-1 in the fifth frame as Valdez tripled to drive in Sirdashney.
A two-run home run by the 49ers in the bottom of the sixth cut UTSA's lead to 4-3. The Roadrunners extended its lead once again to 5-3 in the eighth frame as Valdez stole home, the second time he has done so this season.
On the mound, Miller kept the 49ers scoreless in the final three frames, leading UTSA to a 5-3 victory over Charlotte in game one of the doubleheader.
GAME TWO – Charlotte 12, UTSA 10
The Roadrunners scattered a handful of runs in the first two innings. An RBI single by Valdez in the first got things started quickly. In the second inning, an RBI double by Walker and three-run home run by Smith extended UTSA's lead to 5-0. Shortly after, the game entered a weather delay at 3:15 p.m. (ET) due to lightning in the area.
After a 2-hour and 53-minute delay, the game resumed at 6:08 p.m. (ET). After a scoreless third inning, the Roadrunners scored a pair of runs on a King single in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 7-0.
The 49ers exploded for six runs in the bottom of the frame to cut UTSA's lead to 7-6.
Smith then hit his second home run of the game – a solo shot in the top of the fifth – to extend the Roadrunners' lead to 8-6. Charlotte responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the frame to tie the score up at 8-8.
Another home run by the 49ers in the bottom of the sixth gave Charlotte a 9-8 advantage, before UTSA tied it up on a sacrifice fly by Barry in the top of the seventh.
Three more runs crossed the plate for Charlotte in the eighth inning as the 49ers jumped out to a 12-9 lead. The Roadrunners scored another run in the ninth as Walker hit a double to bring home Josh Killeen but it would not be enough as UTSA fell to Charlotte, 12-10, in game two of the doubleheader.
ON DECK
Game three of the series is currently set for 6 p.m. ET on Friday night, but is subject to change due to weather as the day goes on. All updates will be made available as received on the baseball social media pages.
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