SAN ANTONIO — UTSA committed a costly mistake in the seventh inning that allowed McNeese State to plate four runs and hand the Roadrunners an 11-8 loss Friday night at Roadrunner Field.
All but two Roadrunners on the starting lineup recorded at least one hit as the team registered nine on the night.
C.J. Pickering went 2-for-4 in the series opener with two runs and an RBI. Mason George finished 1-for-3 with a double, his fourth on the season, and two runs.
Connor Crane led McNeese at the plate as he finished 4-for-4 with three runs, a double and an RBI.
McNeese State (3-2) drew blood early in the game with a run in the second inning. Starter Kaleb Fontenot held the Roadrunners scoreless through the first four innings before UTSA scored on Tyler Straub’s two-out single in the bottom fifth.
In the sixth inning, the Cowboys plated a pair of runs in the top half but were quickly taken back in the bottom of the inning that tied the score at three runs apiece.
UTSA (3-2) faced a troublesome seventh inning after a single and an error cleared the loaded bases, which gave McNeese a 7-3 lead.
A three-run bottom of the seventh put the Roadrunners back by one, 7-6. Mason George led off the frame with a walk and scored the first run of the inning on Geonte Jackson’s sac fly. Matt Hilston, who singled through the right side, and C.J. Pickering, who was hit, scored on a fielding error.
The Cowboys tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth and another two in the ninth to lead the Roadrunners 11-6.
In the final inning, the Roadrunners rallied for a pair of runs to close in on the deficit. A leadoff single from Ryan Stacy and walk by Hilston put runners on for UTSA. Pickering’s second hit of the night scored Stacy and two batters later, Ben Brookover drove in J.T. Gilmore on a groundout.
Patrick Herbelin (1-1) was charged with the loss in 0.2 innings. The senior allowed four run on three hits and struck out two.
Trent Fontenot pitched 1.1 innings in relief for the win. He gave up three runs on one hit and struck out one and walked one. Collin Kober picked up his second save of the year in two innings of work. He allowed two runs on two hits and struck out two.
The series will continue at 2 p.m. on Saturday.