? Game 1 box score
? Game 2 box score
| Junior James Keithley had a school-record-tying five hits in Saturday's first contest. |
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. ? With wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour blowing out to right center field, Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the pitching staffs and defenders for both UTSA and the College of Charleston on Saturday at Patriot's Point Stadium. When the dust had settled, the Roadrunners and Cougars split a wild doubleheader with UTSA claiming a 20-12 victory in game one before C of C held on for a 20-16 triumph in the nightcap.
Both teams saw their season records move to 9-3 overall with the split, but the Roadrunners' seven-game winning streak came to an end with the four-run loss in the day's finale.
The beneficiaries of the bizarre weather, obviously, were the two offenses, as the squads scored a combined 68 runs on 68 hits, including a dozen doubles and 12 more home runs. Fourteen of the twinbill's 18 innings featured runs, including a pair of five- and six-tally frames, one seven-run stanza, a nine-run inning and a 10-run explosion.
Game one saw the Roadrunners jump out to a 2-0 lead after two-and-a-half innings. However, the Cougars roughed up UTSA right-handed starter Steven Vasquez to the tune of six runs on seven hits in the bottom of the third to take what appeared to be a commanding 6-2 lead.
The 348 fans in attendance soon found out that no lead was safe on this day.
The UTSA bats came alive over the next two frames, as the Roadrunners plated a season-best 10 runs in the fourth and a half dozen more one inning later to put the game on out of reach.
The College of Charleston answered with a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth to pull within eight, but that would be the closest it would get the rest of the way. The squads traded two-run frames late and the Roadrunners posted their second 20-run performance in the last 23 games (dating back to May 5, 2007).
Leading the way for UTSA was junior leadoff hitter James Keithley, who tied school records with five hits in seven at bats. The San Antonio native reached the milestone for the second time in his last 13 games, as he had two singles, a pair of doubles, his first collegiate grand slam and a career-high five RBIs. Keithley also extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Sophomores Tim Palincsar continued his hot start to the season by going 3-for-5 with two doubles and four RBIs and he also walked two times. Sophomore Ryan Rummel had three base knocks, including a double and his first homer of season, and junior Jose Hernandez was 3-for-4 with a three runs scored, two RBIs and a pair of walks. Junior Aaron Powell added his first home run as a Roadrunner, a two-run shot in the eighth inning.
Vasquez (2-1) allowed 10 run on a dozen hits and struck four in 5.1 hard-fought innings to earn the victory. Junior righty J.P. Holton tossed the final 3.2 frames, giving up a pair of runs on just one hit and four walks, to earn his first save as a Roadrunner. The Lufkin native struck out five to push his season total to 15 in 12.2 innings.
C of C starter Danny Meszaros (0-1) surrendered nine runs (five earned) on nine hits and walked five in picking up the game one loss.
Michael Harrington went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and MIke Hentz, Matt Mansilla, Gabe Marchant and Jeremie Tice all went deep for the Cougars.
Game two was more of the same, however, it was the Cougars who put up a 20-spot to salvage the split. They fought off a trio of UTSA rallies in the contest's four innings to hold on for the thrilling victory.
After UTSA started the game with a two-spot in the first, the College of Charleston responded with seven-run second on the strength of six base hits and three Roadrunners errors. The squad's traded two-spots in over the next two innings and the Roadrunners then began to mount a mid-game rally that put them in the lead.
UTSA plated a run in the fifth on senior Trent Lockwood's one-out RBi single and added five more marks one frame later to take a 10-9 edge.
However, the Roadrunners bullpen could not hold the lead, as the Cougars exploded for nine runs on six hits and four walks in their half of the sixth to retake the lead for good.
UTSA added five more tallies in the seventh and one in the eighth to draw within two at 18-16, but C of C tacked on a pair of very important insurance runs in the eighth to put the game on ice. The Roadrunners had the tying run in the on-deck circle with two down in the ninth, but freshman Ryan Hutson took a called third strike from Jesse Simpson to end the crazy day of action.
Harrington hit a pair of long balls for the Cougars and had a school-record eight RBIs in the four-run triumph. Meanwhile, Brandon Sizemore was 4-for-5 with two runs and four RBIs. Marchant scored five runs and Tice went deep for the second time on the day.
Curtis Downling improved to 2-0 for the Cougars and Simpson collected his second save of the season with 2.2 scoreless innings.
Palincsar led the way for the Roadrunners, as he crossed the plate a school-record-tying five times in addition to going 2-for-3 with his third homer of the year, two walks, a hit by pitch and four RBIs. Junior Michael Rockett went 3-for-5 with his second bomb of the year, while junior Lance Brown, Hernandez and Lockwood also stroked three hits apiece. Keithley was 0-for-1 before exiting the game in the fourth with cramps and his hitting streak came to an end at 10 contests.
Senior right-hander Mark Ruffin (0-1) gave up seven runs in just 1.1 innings in relief of starter Ryan Proudfoot to take the loss.
The teams combined for 10 errors in the nightcap, with each squad committing five apiece, and there were a total of 14 miscues on the day. That number doesn't even include the numerous pop ups and fly balls that were next to impossible to handle due to the windy conditions and bright sun that shined throughout the afternoon hours.
Sunday's finale is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT). Senior righty Bradley Chovanec (3-0, 0.98 ERA) is slated to get the start for the Roadrunners.