GRAND PRAIRIE — No. 4 seed UTSA rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to seventh-seeded Dallas Baptist and the Roadrunners completed their perfect run to this week's Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday by a score of 11-4 at QuikTrip Park.
After the Patriots (30-30) scored two runs in the second, UTSA (35-23) needed three innings to tie things up, but it was all Birds from the fifth inning on.
The Roadrunners went on to plate two more runs in both the sixth and seventh and they put the game out of reach with a five-run eighth.
DBU scored a pair of runs in the ninth off Logan Onda, but, by then, it was too little, too late.
"It feels awesome," first-year head coach Jason Marshall said after the victory. "I'm very proud of our ball club. From the moment we set some goals down on paper this season, these guys believed in it and they played incredible baseball down the stretch. They are very unselfish and just doing whatever they can to win a baseball game. I'm just proud for the program, for the school and for the department."
UTSA pounded out 14 hits, including four for extra bases, and it was led by John Bormann, who went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Eight of the nine starters on offense had at least one knock with Horacio Correa III, Daniel Rockett, RJ Perucki and Mike Warren each adding a pair of safeties for the league's top hitting club.
Meanwhile, Brock Hartson (9-4) surrendered two runs (one earned) on just four hits in his 7.1 innings while starting on three days rest. The redshirt freshman right-hander walked a pair and struck out two in the 111-pitch (67 strikes) performance. Onda, who entered the game with the tying run on deck with one down in the eighth, earned his second save of the season.
The Roadrunners, who now have won their last seven games (10 of 11 overall), went a perfect 4-0 this week en route to their fifth conference title in program history. UTSA previously won four crowns as a member of the Southland Conference (2007-08 Regular Season/1994 & 2005 Tournament).
Five Roadrunners earned All-Tournament honors, led by Matt Sims who was named the event's Most Valuable Player. Bormann, Riley Good, Hartson and Perucki also were tabbed to the 11-player team.
The Roadrunners will learn their NCAA Regional destination and opening-round opponent when the complete 64-team field is announced at 11 a.m. (CT) on Monday on ESPNU. The team will have a watch party at Stone Werks Big Rock Grille at The Rim (5807 Worth Parkway).