| Senior Jose Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a triple, homer and two RBIs in his final game as a Roadrunner. |
CORPUS CHRISTI ? Pinch runner Ross Barbier came home from second with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning and Southeastern Louisiana staved off elimination with a 5-4 victory against UTSA on Friday at the Southland Conference Tournament.
The Lions improved to 37-21 in winning the four-hour, 13-minute thriller, while the Roadrunners saw their season come to an end at 32-24.
Joe Sparacino began the game-winning rally with a one-out walk and Philip Freeman followed with a tailor-made double-play grounder to senior Marshal Davis, but the Roadrunners shortstop could not handle it and both runners were safe. Barbier then came off the bench to run for Sparacino and junior second baseman Gilbert Saenz made an outstanding back-handed stab on Brian McCants' slow grounder up the middle, but Davis was unable to hold onto the flip from Saenz and Barbier, who was running all the way, easily beat out the throw home to keep the Lions alive.
Sophomore left-hander Matt Crocker (6-3) was the hard-luck loser, while Southeastern Louisiana closer Chris Franklin (5-2), who relieved McCants with one down in the seventh, was the winner despite throwing just 45 of his 96 pitches for strikes. Franklin surrendered three hits, walked four and hit a batter over the final 5.2 innings.
UTSA scored the game's first run when senior Jose Hernandez launched a solo homer, his team-leading 17th of the season, into the berm in right center with one out.
The Lions responded with four two-out runs in the bottom of the frame off UTSA freshman starter Casey Selsor.
Cody Gougler sparked the rally with a two-out infield single to third and Jordan D'Arensbourg followed with a liner to right center. Justin Boudreaux's chopper through the right side of the infield tied the game at one and Cass Hargis followed with a two-RBI triple to left center. Ty Summerlin concluded the scoring one batter later with his run-scoring base hit to left.
The Birds began to chip away at the lead with a run in the fifth and tied things up with a pair of marks in the seventh.
Saenz stroked a one-out single in the fifth and moved up to second when Hargis misplayed the ball in center. After junior Lance Brown advanced Saenz to third with his fly ball to right, Davis stroked a single through the left side to plate the El Paso native to pull the Birds within a pair.
Two innings later, Brown stroked a liner to right center with one out and Davis and Hernandez followed with consecutive triples to knot the game at four.
The Roadrunners had five base runners over the final five stanzas but mounted just one threat. That came in the 11th when they had runners on first and second with one out, but Franklin worked out of the jam by coaxing a fly ball to right off the bat of Hernandez and a pop out to second by Rockett.
Crocker, who retired the first eight hitters he faced, went 3.2 innings in his final appearance of the season, allowing a pair of singles with a walk and three strikeouts.
Hernandez went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs in his final game as a Roadrunner, while Brown, Davis and senior Aaron Powell added two hits apiece.
Hargis went 4-for-6 with two RBIs to lead the Lions at the plate.