SAN MARCOS ? Texas State scored seven unanswered runs after UTSA took a 2-0 lead in the first and stayed alive for a share of the Southland Conference Regular Season Championship with a 7-2 victory on Thursday night at Bobcat Field.
The Bobcats, who improved to 35-19 overall and 20-8 in SLC play, took the lead for good with a three-run fifth and then rode the left arm of Justin Fiske the rest of the way.
Pitching in his final home game, Fiske (9-2) retired 16 of the final 17 Roadrunners he faced and struck out eight to push his season total to 100. He allowed just six hits and walked two in his fourth complete game of the year.
UTSA, which needs just one victory in the three-game series to clinch the outright title and No. 1 seed at next week’s SLC Tournament, dropped to 32-20 overall and 22-6 in league action.
Doubles by senior Mitch Ponza, junior Trent Lockwood and senior Ryan Saltzgaber in the first gave UTSA a 2-0 advantage, but David Wood cut the lead in half when he launched his 13th homer of the season with two down in the bottom half of the inning.
After the Roadrunners stranded a pair of runners in both the third and fourth frames, the Bobcats offense got going in the fifth with three runs on three hits and an error by shortstop Marshal Davis on what appeared to be an inning-ending double-play grounder.
Texas State added a pair of runs the following inning and extended the advantage to five with a two-out run in the seventh.
UTSA starter Josh Ruffin (6-4) lost his second consecutive decision after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits in 4.1 innings of work.
The series continues at 6 p.m. on Friday. Right-hander Bradley Chovanec (3-4, 5.24 ERA) gets the nod for the Roadrunners, while righty Michael Hart (7-5, 3.49) will toe the mound for the Bobcats.
