| Senior Mitch Ponza had a career-high four RBIs, including two on his game-winning single in the sixth inning on Sunday. |
SAN ANTONIO – Senior Mitch Ponza’s sixth-inning, two-RBI single through the left side gave UTSA the lead for good and the Roadrunners overcame a seven-run first inning by Northwestern State for a thrilling 12-10 victory on Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners won their fifth consecutive series to open the 2007 Southland Conference season and improved to 21-15 overall and 13-2 in league play. It was the ninth time UTSA has scored in double figures in a conference game this year.
Junior Trent Lockwood led off the deciding frame with a walk and, after senior Ryan Saltzgaber flied out to left, junior Zach Etheredge delivered a double down the left-field line to put runners on second and third. Ponza then battled back from an 0-2 hole and delivered a grounder between shortstop and third base to give UTSA the lead for good.
Northwestern State tagged Roadrunners starter Blake Brannon for seven runs on six hits in the first, all of which came after there were two down, and chased the senior right-hander from the game before the final out of the inning could be recorded.
However, the Roadrunners began to chip away with four, two-out runs in their half of the first and single tallies in the second and third before taking their first lead of the game with four runs in the fourth.
The 10-run rally was highlighted by Ponza’s two-RBI triple in the first, Etheredge’s lead off homer in the third and Saltzgaber’s two-run shot one inning later that gave UTSA its first lead of the day at 9-7. Etheredge followed Saltzgaber’s blast with his second solo shot of the afternoon to give the Roadrunners a three-run cushion.
Senior Josh Blakley, making his first appearance since April 6, relieved Brannon in the first and promptly retired 13 of the first 15 hitters he faced to keep the Roadrunners within striking distance. However, the right-hander tired in the sixth and the Demons capitalized, scoring three runs to knot the contest at 10.
That set the stage for Ponza’s sixth-inning heroics.
Junior J.T. Mackey (5-2) picked up his team-leading fifth win of the season with 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. Freshman Zach Calhoon relieved Mackey after he hit Dylan Libadisos to start the ninth and retired the side for his team-best fourth save of the year.
Etheredge had a career-high four hits on the afternoon, scored four runs and took over the team-lead with his seventh and eighth homers of the year. Redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar tied his career-best with three base hits and also scored a pair of runs, while Ponza brought home a career-best four with his pair of hits. Lockwood was 2-for-4 and he now has hit safely in 20 of his last 21 games.
Northwestern State closer Ryan Campbell (2-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season after allowing a pair of runs on three hits and four walks in three innings of work.
UTSA’s five-game home stand continues on Tuesday when Texas-Pan American (15-28) comes to Roadrunner Field for a two-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.