SAN ANTONIO — UTSA rallied from a 3-2 deficit with three runs in the fifth inning and it added another four one frame later and the Roadrunners went on to post an 11-5 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette in Sunday's rubber game of this weekend's season-opening series.
UTSA (2-1) came back from three different deficits in the contest, the third of which came in the decisive fifth frame.
Trailing 3-2, leadoff hitter Kevin Markham started the rally with a walk and Matt Hilston followed with a single through the right side of the infield. That put runners on the corners and John Bormann promptly plated Markham with a sacrifice fly to center. Tyler Straub followed with a run-scoring double to the gap in left center to give the Roadrunners their first lead of the day. Following a Mitchell Matulia walk, Skyler Valentine brought Straub home with another sacrifice fly to put UTSA in front, 5-3.
The Ragin' Cajans (1-2) pulled to within one with a run in the sixth, but Geonte Jackson responded with his first home run of the spring, a solo shot that cleared the double-decker wall in center field, to start the bottom of the stanza and that pushed the lead back to two.
UTSA went on to add three more runs in the inning when Matulia cleared the bases with a three-run double to center with two outs.
Louisiana-Lafayette added a run in the eighth, but UTSA answered yet again, this time on Matt Hilston's two-run homer to right field for the Roadrunners' sixth long ball of the weekend set after hitting just 27 in 61 games a year ago.
Patrick Herbelin (1-0), who saved Friday's 8-5 victory, earned the win on the mound after tossing the final 4.1 innings out of the bullpen. The right-hander allowed two runs on six hits and struck out five.
Meanwhile, Eric Carter (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits in his 1.1 frames.
The teams exchanged runs in both the first and third innings before the Ragin' Cajuns retook the lead in the fourth.
After Blake Trahan scored from third with one out in the opening frame when Bormann's pick-off attempt hit him in the helmet, Markham answered with his second lead-off home run of the weekend to tie the contest at one.
Derek Herrington gave Louisiana-Lafayette the lead back with his first round-tripper of the spring to lead off the third, but the Roadrunners promptly tied things up in the bottom of the stanza when Straub brought home Markham from third with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
However, Stefan Trosclair launched another Ragin' Cajuns lead-off long ball in the fourth, which gave them a 3-2 advantage.
Hilston and Straub led the Roadrunners with two hit apiece, while Markham finished the day with four runs scored.
UTSA starter Cody Brannon surrendered three runs on five hits in 3.1 innings of work. The senior left-hander walked one and struck two.
Meanwhile, Louisiana-Lafayette starter Greg Milhorn gave up a pair of runs on two hits, walked four and fanned one in three-plus frames. All told, five Ragin' Cajuns combined to walk eight Roadrunners on the day.
UTSA will make its first road trip of the season on Tuesday when it travels to No. 6 Texas (2-2) for a 6 p.m. contest at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The game can be seen on the Longhorn Network.