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| Senior Ryan Saltzgaber now is tied for the team lead with eight home runs this season. |
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA broke open a 1-1 game with five runs in the fifth and four more one inning later and completed its five-game home stand with an impressive 11-1 victory against Texas-Pan American on Wednesday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners won their third game in a row to improve to 23-15 overall and also continued their torrid pace at the plate, scoring in double figures for the third consecutive game and for the fifth time in their last seven outings. UTSA now has won nine of the last 11 matchups between the two programs.
After Texas-Pan American (15-30) scored an unearned run in the first off UTSA starter Blake Brannon, the Roadrunners responded with a run of their own when sophomore Michael Rockett brought home sophomore James Keithley with a sacrifice fly to left. Keithley led off the frame with his seventh double of the season.
UTSA took the lead for good with a five-run fifth. The inning was highlighted by senior Ryan Saltzgaber’s three-run homer to left, which was his eighth home run of the year. It marked the third consecutive game he has left the yard and his fifth long ball in the last six contests overall.
The Roadrunners added four more runs one inning later on four hits and a hit batter to extend the lead to 10-1 and redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar’s RBI single in the eighth completed the scoring.
Brannon (3-4) was sharp in coming back on just two days rest. The senior right-hander allowed just one unearned run on three hits and fanned three in his five innings of work. The Brenham native retired 14 of the final 16 hitters he faced.
Senior Josh Blakley, freshman Jake Sillavan and senior Noah Miles came out of the bullpen and combined to allow just two singles over the final four frames to close out the victory.
Junior Zach Etheredge led eight starters on offense who recorded hits by going 3-for-4. Saltzgaber was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Palincsar, who was 4-for-4 in Tuesday’s opener, added a pair of safeties and two RBIs. Rockett and junior Trent Lockwood extended their hitting streaks to 11 and 10 games, respectively.
Cody Cisper (0-6) dropped his sixth decision in a row after giving up six runs on six hits in 3.2 innings.
UTSA returns to Southland Conference play this weekend when it travels Nacogdoches for a three-game series at Stephen F. Austin. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday at Jaycees Field.