GRAND PRAIRIE — No. 4 seed UTSA kept its Western Athletic Conference Tournament title hopes alive by hammering eighth-seeded San Jose State, 13-3, on Thursday at QuikTrip Park. The game was called after eight innings due to the league's run rule.
The Roadrunners (33-23) pounded out 20 hits, including six for extra bases, and Riley Good and Mike Warren tied the program record with five hits apiece.
Good was 5-for-6 with two doubles and he also drove in a pair of runs, while Warren was 5-for-5 with two RBIs.
Meanwhile, RJ Perucki and Daniel Rockett each went deep to help the Birds race out to an early 6-2 advantage. Perucki, who hit a walk-off home run in UTSA's 3-2, 14-inning win against No. 5 seed Sacramento State on Wednesday, clubbed a three-run shot in the opening frame, while Rockett hit a two-run dinger in the fourth.
Perucki finished the contest with a game-high four RBIs.
The Roadrunners sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six times in the seventh to take a 12-3 lead.
UTSA capped the scoring in the eighth on Perucki's run-scoring single through the middle of the infield.
While the offense was sizzling, the Roadrunners' pitching staff kept the Spartans (17-40) in check at the plate.
Michael Kraft started and allowed just two runs on a pair of hits over three-plus innings before giving way to Logan Onda (1-2), who allowed only one run in a career-high five stanzas to pick up the victory.
San Jose State starter Kyle Hassna (3-6) was touched up for a haf dozen runs on 10 hits over his four innings of work.
UTSA will face CSU Bakersfield (36-21) for the right to advance to Sunday's championship game.
CSUB, which defeated San Jose State by a score of 11-3 on Wednesday afternoon, will compete for the right to advance regardless of the outcome of tonight's tilt against Sacramento State due to the league's tie-breaker rules.
The Roadrunners are scheduled to start southpaw Nolan Trabanino (4-3, 4.85 ERA), while CSU Bakersfield is expected to counter with righty Scott Brattvet (9-1, 2.66 ERA).