· Game 1 box score
· Game 2 box score
| Junior Bradley Chovanec tossed a five-hitter in Saturday's nightcap. |
SAN ANTONIO – UTSA used solid pitching and continued its hot hitting at the plate en route to a 6-3, 5-1 doubleheader sweep of Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners (16-11, 8-0 SLC) extended their best Southland Conference start in school history and now have won six games in a row and 10 of 11 overall. The Lions, who entered the day on a four-game winning streak, dropped to 20-10 overall and 4-4 in league play.
Junior Bradley Chovanec (2-2) was the story in the nightcap, as he tossed a complete-game five hitter for his second win of the season. The 6-foot-4 right-hander allowed just one ninth-inning run, walked one and fanned five in lowering his season earned run average to 3.47.
UTSA gave him all the offense he would need in the fourth when junior Zach Etheredge brought home two runs with a double to left center. Sophomore James Keithley extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single the following inning and, after the Roadrunners added an insurance run in the sixth, Keithley launched his fifth home run of the year to lead off the seventh.
In the day’s first game, senior Josh Blakley relieved starter Josh Ruffin with one down in the third and UTSA trailing 3-2. Blakley (4-0) went on to toss 5.2 scoreless innings, while striking out three, in picking up his second victory in as many games and third in the last nine days.
The Roadrunners, who plated single tallies in both the first and second innings, took the lead for good with three runs on four hits in the third to take a 5-3 lead. Etheredge’s sacrifice fly in the fifth gave UTSA an insurance run and junior J.T. Mackey retired the Lions in order in the ninth to collect his second save of the year.
The offense recorded double-digit hits in both games and now have done so in the past seven contests and in nine of the last 10 tilts overall.
Keithley went 1-for-4 in the first game and 2-for-4 in the second to extend his career-best hitting streak to 15 games, while junior Trent Lockwood continued his tear at the plate, extending his hitting streak to 12 games after going a combined 3-for-7 on the day.
Sophomore Michael Rockett added three hits in the opener and senior Mitch Ponza was 1-for-2 with a triple, pair of walks and three RBIs. Senior Ryan Saltzgaber and junior Phillip Allen, who both were 0-for-4 in the first game, each rebounded to go 3-for-4 with a run scored in the nightcap.
The Roadrunners will go for their third consecutive SLC series sweep to open the 2007 campaign at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Freshman right-hander Ryan Proudfoot (2-1, 2.21 ERA) will take the mound for the Roadrunners. Proudfoot, who has allowed just two runs on just six and struck out 18 in last three starts (15 innings), will be opposed by righty Andrew Velez (1-1, 4.63).