SAN ANTONIO – UTSA's five-game road trip will come to an end on Tuesday night, as the Roadrunners visit I-35 rival Texas State for the second time this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos.
UTSA (14-11), which has won seven of its last eight games, took two of three at Western Kentucky last weekend. The Roadrunners won the first two contests to clinch the series, but dropped Saturday's finale, which snapped a seven-game winning streak.
Trent Bowles continued his hot streak at the plate, as the senior outfielder hit .615 (8 for 13) with five doubles, two home runs and three RBIs in the series win against the Hilltoppers. The Katy native also collected 19 total bases, which translated to a 1.462 slugging percentage, and he scored seven times in the three games.
Ben Brookover also had a successful weekend in the right-handed batter's box, as the senior first baseman hit .500 (6 for 12) with a double, two homers and eight RBIs. Joshua Lamb ran his hitting streak to 10 games, while Chase Keng hit his first career home run in the Roadrunners' 10-4 win over WKU on Friday.
UTSA's pitching staff continued to show its improvement, as the Roadrunners posted a 3.46 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 26 innings. Ten UTSA pitchers combined to limit the Hilltoppers to a .232 batting average in the set.
Karan Patel set the tone for the series, as the right-hander combined on a shutout with Derek Craft. Patel, a junior from Sugar Land, gave up only three hits and struck out six in seven innings. Craft put up two scoreless stanzas to close out the game.
Steven Dressler logged his fifth quality start of the campaign and improved to 4-1 on the mound after the southpaw scattered three runs (two earned) on four hits and fanned seven in 6.1 innings during Friday's victory.
Kyrell Miller will make his first career start for UTSA on Tuesday. The righty is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in nine relief appearances this season.
The Bobcats (15-11-1), who host Baylor on Monday night, have dropped six of their last seven tilts, including two of three at UALR last weekend. Texas State salvaged the three-game series with the Trojans with a 10-6 win on Saturday in San Marcos.
Left-hander Brandon Lewis will get the ball for the Bobcats. Lewis is 0-2 with a 7.31 ERA this spring. He took the loss in the March 20 matchup at UTSA after allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits in a two-inning start.
Tuesday night's meeting marks the 93rd time the two teams have played. The Bobcats are 57-35 all-time against the Roadrunners in a series that dates back to the 1992 campaign. The two teams have split a pair of games this spring. Texas State won a 5-2 decision on March 13 in San Marcos, while UTSA rebounded to defeat the Bobcats, 7-2, a week later in San Antonio.
Following Tuesday's mid-week affair, the Roadrunners will welcome league-leading Louisiana Tech to Roadrunner Field for a three-game Conference USA series, which opens at 6 p.m. Friday.
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