· Box score
SAN ANTONIO – True freshman Ryan Proudfoot tossed no-hit ball for five innings and two UTSA relievers gave up just four hits the rest of the way, as the Roadrunners collected their first shutout of the season, 5-0, against Lamar on Tuesday night.
Playing in its first game at Roadrunner Field since Feb. 18, UTSA won its fourth consecutive contest and evened its record at 10-10 with the non-conference victory, while the Cardinals dropped to 15-9.
Proudfoot (1-1) was wildly effective in his third start of the season. The 6-foot-3 right-hander walked eight and struck out four in his five hitless innings. Junior Mark Ruffin relieved him to start the sixth and fanned four in three innings of work. Freshman Zach Calhoon struck out the side in the ninth despite loading the bases to complete the four-hitter.
Lamar, who came into the contest hitting .339 as a team, had base runners in all but one inning – the seventh – but stranded 15 on the night.
UTSA got on the board early with a run in its half of the first. Sophomore James Keithley led off the inning with a double to right center, moved to third on redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar’s sacrifice bunt and came across the plate on sophomore Michael Rockett’s ground out to short.
The Roadrunners added a pair of runs in the fourth. Junior Trent Lockwood walked with one out and came around on senior Ryan Saltzgaber’s second triple of the year. Junior Zach Etheredge then brought Saltzgaber home with a sacrifice fly to center.
UTSA extended the lead to 5-0 in the sixth when Etheredge launched a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole with one out. It was his third home run in as many games and third of the season.
Etheredge was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Lockwood went 2-for-3 with a double and scored a pair of runs.
Lamar starter Justin Walker (0-2), who was making his first start of the year, picked up the loss. Walker allowed UTSA’s first-inning run on just one hit and struck out two in his three innings of work.
The brief two-game series concludes tomorrow at 3 p.m.
