| Junior Trent Lockwood went deep for the seventh time this season on Friday night. |
SAN ANTONIO – UTSA clubbed four home runs for the first time in more than two years and senior Josh Ruffin went the distance for the eighth time in his career, as the Roadrunners cruised to an 11-3 home victory against Northwestern State on Friday night.
The last time UTSA (20-14, 12-1 SLC) left the yard four times in a game was a 14-3 win against Texas-Pan American on March 30, 2005. The Roadrunners reached double figures for the eighth time in 13 league contests this year and it was the team’s fifth consecutive series-opening triumph to open the 2007 Southland Conference campaign.
Ruffin (4-2) went nine innings for the second time this season, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits. He walked two and struck out four, while moving into sole possession of fourth place on the school’s career complete games chart.
After the Demons (15-20, 5-7) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second on Chase Lyle’s suicide squeeze, seniors Ryan Saltzgaber and Mitch Ponza launched solo homers in the bottom half of the inning to put the Roadrunners up 2-1. It was Saltzgaber's fifth long ball of the year and Ponza's third.
Northwestern State tied the game the following inning with an unearned run, but UTSA reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the frame on sophomore Michael Rockett’s RBI single.
The Roadrunners added three more runs in the fifth, highlighted by junior Trent Lockwood’s team-leading seventh homer, a mammoth two-run shot to right center with two down.
UTSA then tacked on a pair of tallies the following inning on junior Philip Allen’s RBI triple and junior Marshal Davis’ sacrifice fly to left. The Roadrunners completed their scoring in the seventh on Rockett’s two-run shot, his fourth of the season, and Saltzgaber’s sacrifice fly to center.
Eight of the nine starters on offense had at least one hit, one run scored and an RBI. Lockwood, Ponza, Rockett and Saltzgaber each had two hits, while Lockwood brought home three runs. Redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar saw his career-high 13-game hitting streak come to an end after going 0-for-4.
Jimmy Heard (4-4) picked up the loss after giving up 11 runs on 11 hits in six-plus innings.
The series continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday. UTSA right-hander Bradley Chovanec (2-3, 4.36 ERA) will oppose Northwestern State righty Heath Hennigan (1-1, 5.40).