| Sophomore James Keithley comes home with the game-winning run on Saturday. |
SAN ANTONIO – Sophomore Michael Rockett’s single through a drawn-in infield lifted UTSA to a dramatic 8-7 victory against the College of Charleston on Saturday afternoon at Wolff Stadium. The Roadrunners (6-9) continued their winning ways at Wolff by picking up their ninth consecutive victory at the facility.
Sophomore James Keithley began the game-winning rally with his carer-high fourth base hit of the contest to start the inning. Redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar then came to the plate attempting to move him to second with a sacrifice bunt. However, Cougars second baseman Oliver Marmol picked up Palincsar’s offering and launched his throw into center field for his second throwing error of the afternoon. That brought up Rockett, who laced the first pitch he saw from Brian Schlitter through the left side to give UTSA the victory.
Junior J.T. Mackey (3-1) picked up his second win in as many days after throwing a scoreless 11th. Starter Bradley Chovanec gave up five runs (two earned) on eight hits in six innings, while Josh Blakley pitched four innings in relief of Chovanec and allowed a pair of runs.
Schlitter (2-1), who went the final four innings for Charleston, picked up the loss. Starter Michael Bunton lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits and a pair of walks.
Trailing 7-6 heading into the eighth, Charleston (12-3) sent the game to extra frames when Graham Maiden hit his third home run of the year off Blakley, a lead-off shot that stayed just inside the right-field foul pole.
UTSA pounded out 13 hits on the day and its 1-2-3 hitters combined to go 9-for-16 with seven runs scored and six RBIs. Keithley was 4-for-5 with four runs scored and his first homer of the season, a solo shot to start the fifth. Rockett added three hits and Palincsar was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs and three RBIs.
The Roadrunners got on the board in the first when Keithley led off with a walk, moved to second on a passed ball by Alex Garabedian and came home on Rockett’s one-out single.
Charleston tied it up two innings later on Chris Campbell’s two-out double down the right-field line that plated Clay McCord, who led off the inning with a bunt single.
After UTSA retook the lead with two runs in the fifth, The Cougars regained the lead with three unearned runs in the sixth off Chovanec and added an insurance tally the following inning off Blakley to extend the advantage to 6-3.
However, the Roadrunners responded with a four spot off Charleston reliever Russ Tomlinson in their half of the seventh. UTSA tied the game when Palincsar launched his first career homer, a three-run shot to right with nobody out. Junior Zach Etheredge then gave the Roadrunners the lead with his two-out double down the left-field line that brought Rockett across the plate with the go-ahead run.
The series concludes tomorrow at 11 a.m.