| Sophomore Kevin Clarke needed only 64 pitches to go a career-high 6.2 innings on Saturday. |
THIBODAUX, La. ? For the second day in a row it took extra innings for the UTSA baseball team to defeat Nicholls. On Saturday, it was a five-run 12th that propelled the Roadrunners to a 9-4 victory at Ray Didier Field.
Although it was the bats that eventually got the job done, the work put in by sophomore right-handedrKevin Clarke out of the UTSA bullpen was the story of the day.
After giving up an RBI single to the second batter he faced in the sixth, Clarke (2-2) blanked Nicholls over the final half dozen innings, retiring 12 straight from the seventh through the 10th. The Huntsville native worked around back-to-back leadoff singles in the 11th, stranding those two base runners at second and third, and allowed just four hits and struck out one in his career-best 6.2 panels (64 pitches). Twelve of his 20 outs came on the ground.
The Birds (24-18, 13-10 SLC) won their fifth consecutive contest (sixth in last seven tilts overall) and they moved within one game of second place in the Southland Conference standings following losses by Sam Houston State (7-5, vs. Southeastern Louisiana) and UT Arlington (5-2, at Stephen F. Austin). UTSA played beyond the ninth for the third time in its last four outings and Saturday's game was its longest of the spring.
After sophomore Ryan Hutson led off the 12th with a ground out to short, fellow sophomore Tyler Carpenter reached on a fielding error by Nicholls shortstop Brady Bourque. Freshman Casey Selsor followed with an infield single to second and he moved to second and Carpenter to third when Keith Kulbeth's throw to first was off the mark.
Colonels reliever Brad Delatte, who entered the contest in the 10th, then intentionally walked freshman Jason Mohn to load the bases and senior Marshal Davis followed with his third hit of the day, a single to center, which brought home a pair. Senior Jose Hernandez' chopper through the left side of the infield brought home Selsor to extend the lead to three. After senior All-American Michael Rockett moved Davis and Hernandez up a base with his grounder to second, Bourque's second miscue of the inning allowed Davis to cross the plate. Junior Lance Brown's infield hit to second brought home the frame's final tally.
Delatte (1-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up all five 12th-inning runs, although just two were earned.
After Nicholls (17-24, 8-15 SLC) manufactured a run on two hits in the second, the Roadrunners took a 4-1 lead with three marks in the fourth and another one frame later.
However, the Colonels put up a three-spot in the sixth, but Rockett gunned down the potential go-ahead run at the plate to end the inning.
Davis led the Birds by going 3-for-6 with a triple and three RBIs, while Selsor collected a career-best three hits and scored two times. Rockett went 2-for-6 with a double, the 62nd of his career, and he is one shy of tying Jordan Foster's five-year-old Southland Conference record of 63 (Lamar, 2001-04).
Senior southpaw Kris Ruepke put together his second strong start in a row, despite allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.1 frames. The Adel, Iowa, native retired 11 of 14 Colonels from innings two through five before tiring in the sixth. He matched Clarke by inducing a dozen ground outs.
Nicholls starter Tyler Minto surrendered four runs on nine hits and a pair of walks while fanning two in his nine frames.
Scott Moseley went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs to lead the Colonels at the plate
UTSA will go for its second conference sweep of the year at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Senior lefty Andy Benedict (2-1, 3.60 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season and will be opposed by southpaw Ryan Cooper (3-1, 4.68).