NEW ORLEANS, La. — Brock Hartson tossed a complete game in UTSA’s 8-1 game one victory at Tulane on Friday and the Green Wave (14-15, 6-7 C-USA) earned a split of the doubleheader by thwarting a ninth-inning Roadrunners' comeback effort in a 4-1 win in the nightcap.
John Bormann led the UTSA (20-11, 7-4 C-USA) by going a combined 4-for-7, registering two hits in each contest.
The series will conclude at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Game 1: UTSA 8, Tulane 1
Brock Hartson (2-1) pitched his first-ever nine inning complete game, allowing just one unearned run and striking out seven in the 132-pitch performance.
The Roadrunners were able to score single runs in both the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Jesse Baker delivered a RBI groundout in the first and Mike Warren scored from third an inning later as Bormann was caught in a rundown between first and second.
Tulane cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the second when Jake Rogers capitalized on a UTSA fielding error with a RBI single into center.
That was when Hartson buckled down recording a pair of strikeouts to end the third and dominating from there.
Logan Kinder put the Roadrunners ahead 3-1 in the third turning a suicide squeeze attempt in an RBI bunt single as the freshman beat out the throw to first allowing Bormann to score from third.
After RJ Perucki’s double in the top of the sixth, Tony Ramirez followed two batters later with a double to left field to plate Perucki and give the Roadrunners a 4-1 edge.
Baker collected a RBI single in the seventh on a play where two runs crossed the plate and scored later in the inning on a fielding error by Green Wave third baseman Hunter Hope to extend the lead to 7-1.
Perucki knocked in another insurance run in the ninth on a fielder’s choice to second base bringing in J.T. Gilmore from third.
Hartson closed out the Green Wave with three straight putouts in the ninth.
Game 2: Tulane 4, UTSA 1
The Roadrunners couldn’t recover from a three-run Tulane first inning in the afternoon’s second contest.
Hunter Williams laced a bases-clearing double over the head of Ramirez in left field to give Tulane a 3-0 lead.
Andrew Garner added a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth to spot Tulane a 4-0 cushion.
That was all starter Randy LeBlanc needed in his eight frames of work. The right-hander struck out eight and allowed seven hits for his third win of the season.
The Roadrunners made things interesting in the top of the ninth with a single by Baker, walk by Perucki, and another single by Warren loaded the bases with no outs and brought the tying run to the plate. Ramirez put the first UTSA run on the board with a groundout to short allowing Baker to score. Bormann then walked to load the bases again before pinch-hitter Grant Gibbs ground into a game ending double play.