| April 18, 2006
Contact: Carlos Valdez III. UTSA's late rally upsets No. 5 Texas Longhorns, 14-10 Box Score | Photo Gallery
SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team ended a 13-game losing streak to the Texas Longhorns in a 14-10 slugfest at Wolff Stadium Tuesday evening. UT came into tonight’s game ranked fifth in the country. The win over Texas is the biggest upset in UTSA's baseball history.
UTSA, winner of its last four games, improved its overall record to 24-12. Meanwhile, UT dipped to 27-13 on the season. The Roadrunners picked up their fourth win in the all-time series against Texas. The last time UTSA defeated UT was back on Feb. 9, 1999, in an 11-10 outing.
In a night where UTSA used a season-high seven pitchers, Senior Noah Tritz (right) came into the game for the Runners and picked up his team leading eighth win of the season. The Spring, Texas, native, tossed two and two-thirds innings, allowing one run while punching out two Longhorns.
For the third straight game, the Runners managed to score over 10 runs and collect double digit hits (16). The Roadrunners were led by sophomore Marshal Davis and J.R. Voyles with three RBI apiece, while senior Lee Todesco and sophomore Zach Etheredge paced UTSA with three hits apiece. With the 1-for-3 night, Voyles extended his career best hitting streak to 23 games. Junior Michael McKennon and freshman Michael Rockett added two hits apiece. McKennon also tagged on two RBI. Etheredge scored a season-high four runs.
For Texas, junior Joseph Krebs suffered his first loss of the season and dropped his record to 2-1 on the year. Juniors Drew Stubbs and Chais Fuller led UT with two RBI apiece. Junior Chance Wheeless was on of three Longhorns with two hits on the day.
Texas grabbed the early 1-0 lead courtesy off freshman Kyle Russell’s ninth home run of the season in the top of the second inning. In the third inning, UTSA tied the game at 1-1. Davis started the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Voyles. A two-out, RBI-double by James Keithley down the left field line plated Davis from second base.
The Runners took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Etheredge led off the inning with a walk then moved to third off back-to-back sacrifice bunts by the Roadrunners. Davis drove in Etheredge with an RBI-single to center field.
The Longhorns scored three runs in the top of the fifth to regain the lead at 4-2. Stubbs’ two-run single to center field highlighted the inning. UT added one run in the top of the sixth when Wheeless and freshman Bradley Suttle hit back-to-back singles. With two outs, Fuller’s RBI single plated Suttle home from second.
UTSA scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead, 6-5. The Runners scored two of the runs off RBI-groundouts by sophomore Phillip Allen and Davis. McKennon’s single to right scored the tying run. Todesco drove in his 34th run of the season, which leads the team, when he singled to right and scored Voyles. Texas answered right back in the seventh inning, as the Longhorns batted around and scored five runs off three hits.
The Roadrunners trimmed the lead to 10-8 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Voyles (left) singled with two outs to extend his hitting streak and drive in two runs. In the eighth inning, UTSA rallied with six runs to take the lead for good. Todesco began the inning with a single to left and Keithley reached base via a walk. With one out, Etheredge’s single to right loaded the bases for UTSA. Junior Brandon Koger’s fielder’s choice scored Todesco and a UT error allowed for Keithley to come around from second and tie the game at 10-all. An Allen single and a second Longhorns miscue on a sacrifice bunt by Davis gave UTSA a 12-10 lead as Koger and Etheredge crossed the plate. Voyles’ sacrifice fly to right scored Allen and McKennon collected his second RBI of the game with a base knock to center that plated Davis with the 14th run, the most Texas has given up in more than 240 games.
With UTSA leading 14-10, Tritz pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to end Texas’ chance of a comeback.
UTSA returns to Southland Conference action this weekend at Texas-Arlington with a three-game series on Friday-Sunday, April 21-23. Note: New UTSA head men's basketball coach Brooks Thompson threw out the first pitch for Tuesday's game with Texas.
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