LAKE CHARLES, La. – Karan Patel and Derek Craft combined on a three-hitter, while Ryan Stacy drove in the game's only run, and the UTSA baseball team shut out McNeese State, 1-0, in the series opener on Friday night at Joe Miller Ballpark.
Patel (1-0), who's last start came on April 4, 2017, logged a quality start after he allowed only three hits, walked one and struck out five in six innings. The Sugar Land native also started 18 of the 21 batters he faced with a strike and threw 83 pitches (56 strikes).
Craft earned his first save of the season and second of his career after allowing only a walk and fanning four in the final three frames.
Patel and Craft combined to retire 14 of the final 15 Cowboy batters of the game to secure the win for the Roadrunners (3-5).
Meanwhile, Aidan Anderson (0-3) took the loss for McNeese State (2-7), as the right-hander allowed one run on three hits and a walk. He also struck out a game-high eight on 100 pitches.
UTSA scored the lone run in the third inning.
Aldo Buendia led off the stanza with a double down the left-field line on the first pitch he saw. After Joshua Lamb was hit by a pitch and Jonathan Tapia laid down a sacrifice bunt, Stacy bounded a ball to shortstop that allowed Buendia to cross the plate.
The two teams will play game two of the series at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Roadrunners will hand the ball over to southpaw Steven Dressler (1-1).
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