· Box score
SAN ANTONIO – Sophomore James Keithley slugged two home runs and junior Zach Etheredge added his fourth long ball in the last five games, as UTSA defeated Central Arkansas, 12-10, on Friday night at Roadrunner Field. It was the Roadrunners’ fifth victory in their last six games and the fourth in a row to open the 2007 Southland Conference season.
The game saw four lead changes, featured 35 hits – including six doubles and a half dozen long balls – and all but three of the 18 starters on offense reached base by hit or walk.
Keithley was the star for the Roadrunners (11-11, 4-0 SLC), as he hit home runs in each of the first two innings and finished the game 3-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBIs to extend his career-high hitting streak to 10 games.
His solo shot in the first gave UTSA an early 1-0 lead and his two-run blast the following inning put the Roadrunners up 3-2. The San Antonio native has four homers on the year, three of which have come in the past two games.
With UTSA trailing 7-3 entering its half of the fifth, junior Trent Lockwood brought home redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar with a double off the top of the wall in center field to pull the Roadrunners within three. Two batters later, Etheredge delivered a three-run shot, his fourth of the year, to left field to tie the contest at seven.
The Roadrunners then took the lead for good the following inning with three runs on two hits and a pair of Central Arkansas errors. After the Bears (10-11, 1-3 SLC) got within two at 10-8 with a tally in the eighth, UTSA added a pair of insurance runs in their half of the frame that would prove to be the difference in the game.
Kent Taylor’s two-run homer in the ninth off junior J.T. Mackey got UCA back within two at 12-10. Back-to-back singles by Kevin Rawls and Craig Nyborg put the tying runs on base, but freshman Zach Calhoon got Matt Warren to pop up to Lockwood to end the game.
Senior Josh Blakley (2-0) picked up the win in relief of starter Josh Ruffin. Blakley allowed a pair of runs (one earned) on six hits and fanned three in 3.1 innings. Calhoon, who came on with two down in the ninth, earned his third save of the season.
A trio of Roadrunners – Keithley, Lockwood and sophomore Michael Rockett – had three hits on the night. Senior Ryan Saltzgaber and redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar each added a pair of safeties, as the top five hitters in UTSA’s lineup combined to go 13-for-23. UTSA also stole three bases and now has 27 in 34 attempts this year.
Central Arkansas starter Matt Whitaker gave up 10 runs (eight earned) on a dozen hits in five-plus innings of work to drop to 2-3 on the year. The junior right-hander walked two and struck out 10.
Ruffin, making his seventh start of the season, allowed six runs on nine hits – including a pair of home runs – and struck out three in four-plus innings.
The series continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday when junior right-hander Bradley Chovanec (0-2, 4.32 ERA) takes the hill for the Roadrunners. Chovanec will oppose UCA righty Daniel Price (2-3, 6.75 ERA).
