| |
| Junior James Keithley belted a lead-off homer in the first and broke UTSA's nine-year-old record for runs in a season on Thursday night. |
SAN ANTONIO ? Right-hander Michael Hart tossed a complete game seven-hitter and Texas State sent UTSA to its first back-to-back losses at Roadrunner Field since Feb. 17-18, 2007, with a 10-3 victory on Thursday night.
Hart improved to 6-3 on the year with his 104-pitch gem. The right-hander from Staten Island, N.Y., walked two and fanned a pair in his fourth complete game of the season. He retired nine of the final 10 hitters he faced and 12 of 14 overall.
Lance Loftin hit a pair of three-run home runs, his ninth and 10th of the season, and had a career-high six RBIs, while Laurn Randell went 3-for-3 with two runs scored to lead a 12-hit offensive attack in support of Hart.
The Bobcats (28-24, 18-10 SLC) got on the board first with two runs in the opening inning.
Randell singled to right with one down and advanced to second on a wild pitch by UTSA starter Ryan Proudfoot two batters later. After Loftin walked, Ben Theriot stroked a base hit to right that plated Randell and Loftin came home when right fielder Tyler Carpenter's throw got past senior catcher Zach Etheredge.
UTSA (37-16, 21-7 SLC) cut the lead in half in the bottom of the frame when junior shortstop James Keithley deposited Hart's second pitch of the evening over the left-field wall for his fifth homer of the year. It was Keithley's 67th run of the campaign and that broke Jeff Juarez' nine-year-old school record of 66, set back in 1999.
Loftin's first long ball of the night pushed Texas State's advantage to 5-1 two innings later and a Thomas Field RBI single in the fourth stretched the lead to five.
The Birds pulled within three with a pair of two-out tallies in the fifth.
Senior second baseman Phillip Allen got the rally started with a base hit to left. Keithley, who was 2-for-3 on the night, then took an 0-2 pitch from Hart down the left-field line for a double and that brought home Allen with UTSA's second run. Sophomore designated hitter Tim Palincsar followed with a two-bagger down the line in left to plate Keithley and UTSA trailed by just three heading into the final four innings.
However, the Bobcats put the game out of reach in the eighth when Paul Goldschmidt smacked a run-scoring to right center and Loftin followed with his second three-run homer of the night off Roadrunners right-hander reliever Mark Ruffin.
That was all for UTSA, as Hart set the Birds down in order in the bottom of the inning and, after junior left fielder Aaron Powell led off the ninth with a base hit, he coaxed a double-play grounder off the bat of sophomore third baseman Ryan Rummel followed by a pop up to second by Etheredge.
Proudfoot (7-3) gave up six runs (five earned) on eight hits and walked three in five-plus innings.
It was the 62nd meeting between the two schools that are separated by just 52 miles and the Texas State now leads the all-time series, 37-25.
The series shifts to Bobcat Field in San Marcos on Friday night. Senior right-hander Bradley Chovanec (8-3, 5.21 ERA) will square off against righty Steven Siers (5-2, 5.45). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.