SAN ANTONIO — Timely hitting and a solid pitching performance by Tyler Giovanoni helped UTSA to a 9-5 victory against Stephen F. Austin on Sunday at Roadrunner Field for the weekend series sweep.
UTSA (4-3) registered a season-high 16 hits against the Lumberjacks on Sunday, outhitting its opponent 16-8. The Roadrunners' nine runs was also the first time UTSA scored in single-digits since its loss to Quinnipiac last Saturday.
Giovanoni was stellar for the Roadrunners as he logged 3.2 innings in relief for his first win of the season. The right-hander allowed one run on just two hits and recorded a pair of strikeouts.
At the plate, UTSA had six players notch multiple hits behind Kevin Markham's 4-for-5 performance with two runs scored, an RBI, triple and a double. Meanwhile, Trent Bowles went 3-for-5 with two runs and a double.
SFA (2-6) struck early with a pair of runs in the opening frame and kept the Roadrunners off the board in the home half. UTSA responded in the second inning with a first pitch solo home run by C.J. Pickering to cut the 'Jacks' lead in half. The Roadrunners have now registered 12 long balls through seven games this season.
The Roadrunners then scored three runs in the third on timely hitting. Markham led off the inning with an infield single and was followed by Bowles's one-out single to right that put runners on the corner. A Chris Estrada groundout to short scored Markham and tied the score at two. Bryan Arias picked up his first extra base hit of the day on a double to left, which scored Bowles for the 3-2 lead, and he then crossed home plate on Pickering's single to right.
Both teams went quietly in the fourth. In the top of the fifth, SFA plated a pair of runs to even the score at four runs each.
UTSA broke away in the sixth inning and took a 5-4 advantage on Markham's two-out triple that scored Aldo Buendia. In the following stanza, Arias went for his first homer of the season with a three-run shot to right center and cushioned the lead to 8-4.
Both teams scored once more with the Roadrunners plating a run in the eighth and SFA in the ninth.
UTSA will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 28, for its first midweek contest on the road at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.
