| Feb. 13, 2005
Contact: Matt Schabert (210) 458-4930 Roadrunners lose series finale to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 8-4 Box Score
SAN ANTONIO – It was a case of missed opportunities Sunday for the University of Texas at San Antonio baseball team. The Roadrunners left 14 men on base and dropped an 8-4 decision to the visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at Wolff Stadium. UTSA fell to 0-3, while the Islanders, who swept the three-game series from UTSA, upped their record to 3-3. Sophomore left fielder Michael McKennon went 4-for-5 with two RBI at the plate, coming up just a home run shy of the cycle, but the Roadrunners were held scoreless for the final five innings. The Islanders raced ahead 2-0 in the first inning before UTSA tied the contest in the second inning. After three runs in the third and another in the fourth gave the visitors a 6-2 lead, the Roadrunners crept back to within 6-4 with a pair of scores in the fourth, but UTSA stranded eight runners over the final five frames.
Juniors Lee Todesco and J.R. Voyles each recorded two hits for the Roadrunners, while seniors Chris Lewis and Eric Moreno notched a pair of hits as well for the UTSA offense. Islander center fielder Chuck Carter went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to lead TAMU-CC, while Jaime Landin and Jason Graham each notched two safeties.
Roadrunner starter Jason Vecchio was ousted after three innings and took the loss. He allowed five runs, with only three earned, and struck out three as well. Freshman Mark Ruffin came on in relief for his first collegiate appearance, while junior Ryan Crew tossed two innings of middle relief. Sophomore Blake Brannon and freshman Brian Pope closed the game on the mound, with Pope tossing the final two innings and recoding his first collegiate strikeout.
Islander starter Josh Mitchell threw eight complete innings for the victory, while Michael Hatfield got he final three outs in the ninth after the Roadrunners loaded the bases with no outs. It was Hatfield’s second save in as many games.
In the first, TAMUCC plated two runs as Graham singles home Landin and Carter scored on Aaron Vasquez’ sacrifice fly. The Roadruners answered in the second when senior Sean Danielson drove home Moreno, who had walked and stole second on a failed pickoff attempt. McKennon then tripled into the right field corner, scoring Danielson.
Landin started the scoring for the Islanders in the third as TAMUCC went on top 5-2 with three runs. He scored on Carter’s double, and then Carter came home on an error by McKennon, who caught a fly ball from Vasquez but then mishandled it, allowing Carter to trot home. Graham, who had singled earlier in the frame, then scored a wild pitch.
The Islanders added runs in the fourth before UTSA notched two in the bottom of the inning. Moreno led off with a triple down the right field line and scored a batter later when redshirt freshman Drew Rogers reached on a fielding error. Two batters later, McKennon knocked home Rogers with a double down the left field line.
After the Islanders added runs in the fifth and eighth innings, the Roadrunners had an opportunity to tie the game in the ninth. Todesco singled to lead off the final inning and moved to second on Lewis’s single. A pitch to load the bases hit Voyles, but Hatfield coaxed Moreno into an infield popup and struck out Ryan Saltzgaber and freshman Tyler Johnson to end the threat.
The Roadrunners recorded 13 hits on the day, while Islanders tallied 11.
UTSA hits the road on Tuesday for a game at University of Texas in Austin at Disch-Falk Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and live audio will be available on www.goutsa.com.
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