| Sophomore Matt Crocker has struck out 17 hitters in his last five appearances out of the bullpen. |
THIBODAUX, La. ? UTSA scored four runs in the 11th inning and posted a 5-1 victory at Nicholls on Friday night. The Roadrunners (23-18, 12-10 SLC) won their fourth game in a row and for the fifth time in their last half dozen contests, a stretch that includes a pair of extra-inning triumphs.
That made a winner out of left-handed reliever Matt Crocker (2-0), who retired all six Colonels hitters he faced over the final two panels, including a pair of strikeouts. The sophomore has fanned 17 hitters in his last 8.2 innings of work, which covers five outings (two wins).
Sophomore Tyler Carpenter, who was a career-high 4-for-5 on the night, led off the deciding frame with a double off the top of the left-field wall. Freshman Casey Selsor then laid a bunt down the third-base line that Nicholls reliever Ross Larson could not handle and that put runners on the corners.
Junior Ryan Rummel followed with a double that brought home both runners. After freshman Jason Mohn sacrificed Rummel to third, senior Marshal Davis dropped down a suicide squeeze down the first-base line for the third run of the frame and senior Jose Hernandez then launched a solo homer to left, his team-leading 11th of the season, to complete the four-run frame.
Larson (1-3), who gave up all of the 11th-inning runs, was charged with the loss. He surrendered five hits in his three frames of work.
Nicholls (17-23, 8-14 SLC) sent the game into extras with an unearned run in the ninth off UTSA right-handed starter Red Patterson.
Pinch hitter Jacob Knight blooped a one-out single into right, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball by Rummel and came home on Jason Dennis' sinking liner that short-hopped into the glove of Roadrunners center fielder Michael Rockett.
Patterson, who entered the ninth in search of his national-leading second shutout of the year, scattered 11 hits over his nine innings, while walking two and setting a season high with nine strikeouts. The Frisco native was at his best when a Colonel reached third base, as he punched out six in a row in the fourth and sixth frames in that situation.
Patterson, who hurled his team-leading fifth quality start of the spring, went at least eight innings for the fourth game in a row and he has posted 2.18 ERA and fanned 23 during that 33-inning stretch.
UTSA took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Mohn led off the frame with a triple and came home on Davis' infield single to second.
Davis and Hernandez both had three safeties, while Mohn and Rummel added a pair. The Roadrunners had 17 hits on the night but stranded 11 base runners.
Josh Swenson went 3-for-5 to lead the Colonels at the plate.
Nicholls lefty starter Jarret Dunnam scattered a dozen hits in his eight frames. He walked two and struck out six in the 150-pitch effort.
The series continues at 3 p.m. on Saturday when senior southpaw Kris Ruepke (1-4, 7.82 ERA) squares off against right-hander Tyler Minto (2-2, 4.43).