| | |
| Senior Trent Lockwood (left) hit a three-run game-winning home run and senior Zach Etheredge went 4-for-5 in the Roadrunners' 9-6 victory on Thursday. | |
HUNTSVILLE ? Senior first baseman Trent Lockwood's three-run home run, his 15th of the year, with one out in the eighth gave UTSA its first lead since the opening inning and the top-seeded Roadrunners staved off elimination with a thrilling, 9-7 come-from-behind victory against Northwestern State on Thursday in second-day action at the Southland Conference Tournament.
The victory, UTSA's school-record-tying 39th of the season (the 1994 Roadrunners went 39-18), sent them into another win-or-go-home contest at noon on Friday when it will play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (22-32-1) for the second time in the last three days and fifth time since May 2. It also was the 250th win of head coach Sherman Corbett's eight-year career.
Trailing by four runs and with just nine outs to go in its season, the Birds began their dramatic comeback with three runs in the seventh.
Sophomore designated hitter Tim Palincsar led things off when he beat the shift with a infield single to second base. Junior center fielder Michael Rockett then was hit by a pitch, and after Lockwood struck out swinging, junior right fielder Aaron Powell delivered his second run-scoring single to bring home Palincsar and cut the deficit to 6-3. Two batters later, junior left fielder Jose Hernandez was plunked by a pitch to load the bases. Senior catcher Zach Etheredge then stroked a single to center that plated Rockett and Powell and cut the lead to one.
After sophomore right-hander Zach Calhoon set the Demons (28-28) down in order in the bottom of the frame, the game-winning rally when Palincsar beat the shift for the second inning in a row and legged out another infield hit to second. Rockett followed with an infield single to third base and that brought Lockwood to the plate. The Groesbeck native launched his second homer in as many days on a 2-2 fastball from Northwestern State closer Ryan Campbell to put UTSA in front for the first time since a 1-0 lead in the first inning. He now has 29 long balls in his brief two-year career and that ranks third on the school's all-time chart.
Etheredge, who finished the day 4-for-5 with three RBIs, gave the Birds an all-important insurance run in the ninth when he led off the frame with a bomb down the left-field line off righty Clayton Cooper. It was the Boerne native's fifth of the year and 20th of his five-year career. He is 7-for-9 with a double, homer, four RBIs and three runs scored in the first two days of the tournament.
Things got interesting in the bottom of the inning, as Calhoon allowed a run on a pair of walks and a two-out single up the middle by Jordan Nipp, but the second-team All-SLC performer got Justin O'Neal, who had doubled and homered earlier in the game, to ground out to freshman Ryan Hutson for the final game's out.
Calhoon (4-1) gave up a run on just one hit, walked three and fanned three in 3.2 innings. The Roadrunners also got a solid relief outing from senior righty Steven Vasquez. Making just his second appearance out of the bullpen this year, the Beeville native allowed one run on four hits and fanned two in 3.1 frames in aid of southpaw starter Kris Ruepke.
Campbell (0-5) was saddled with the loss after surrendering three runs on four hits in just a third of an inning. Northwestern State got a solid start from right-hander Heath Hennigan, as he allowed just two runs (one earned) on seven hits and struck out six in 5.2 innings.
Powell finished the afternoon with three hits and junior shortstop James Keithley, Lockwood, Palincsar and Rockett added two apiece, as the Roadrunners had 16 in the three-run triumph.
The Demons? who rapped out a dozen hits, drew six walks and were hit by two pitches ? stranded 14 base runners.
Day 2 scoreboard
#7 Southeastern Louisiana 7, #6 UT Arlington 3 (UT Arlington eliminated)
#1 UTSA 9, #5 Northwestern State 7 (Northwestern State eliminated)
#2 Lamar 11, #3 Texas State 7
#4 Sam Houston State 13, #8 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2 (8 innings)
Friday's schedule
Southeastern Louisiana (30-26) vs. Texas State (30-26), 9 a.m.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (22-32-1) vs. UTSA (39-18), noon
Southeastern Louisiana/Texas State winner vs. Lamar (34-21), 4 p.m.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi/UTSA winner vs. Sam Houston State (35-23), 7 p.m.