LAKE CHARLES, La. — UTSA wrapped up its three-game series at former Southland Conference foe McNeese State on Saturday with a pair of losses, as the Roadrunners dropped a 4-2 decision in game one before falling by a score of 4-3 in the nighcap.
The home team kept UTSA (6-5) scoreless through the first seven innings of the opener before the Roadrunners avoided their first shutout of the year late with a pair of runs.
Trent Bowles led off the eighth with a base hit and Kevin Markham drove him in with his first triple of the year. Markham then scored on the following at-bat on a grounder to second.
Starting pitcher Bryce Kingsley gave up just one run on five hits and struck out five to get the victory on the mound for the Cowboys (8-4). After earning the win on Friday night, closer Collin Kober got the save with a scoreless ninth.
McNeese State's offense up its pitching with 16 hits.
The Cowboys took the early lead in the second with two runs and they then tacked on one run in the fourth and another in the seventh.
Southpaw Nolan Trabanino was charged with the loss after throwing just 1.2 innings. The junior starter allowed two runs on six hits and fanned one batter.
Shortstop Tyler Straub tallied three of UTSA’s seven hits, while Markham was 2-for-4 with his RBI triple.
McNeese State scored early in the second contest, but UTSA tied the score in the top third and took a 2-1 lead in the next inning.
Skyler Valentine reached on a base hit, moved over to second on a Bowles grounder and scored on Markham’s RBI single.
John Bormann then led off the fourth with a single up the middle and he made his way to second on a wild pitch. Jesse Baker moved Bormann over to third with a ground out to first and Straub notched the RBI with a grounder to short to score Bormann.
The Roadrunners tacked on an insurance run in the top seventh, but the home team plated three in the home half to rally for the 4-3 win.
Patrick Herbelin was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and a walk.
Austin Briggs was the pitcher of record for McNeese State.
Geonte Jackson and C.J. Pickering each had two hits for the Roadrunners.
UTSA will be back in action on Tuesday, March 3, when it travels to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-2) for a 6:30 p.m. contest