SAN ANTONIO – UTSA will face No. 22 Louisiana Tech in a three-game Conference USA series this weekend at Roadrunner Field. The set is slated to open with a 6 p.m. game on Friday. Saturday's contest is scheduled to be played at 2 p.m., while Sunday's finale will start at 1 p.m.
UTSA (15-11, 5-3 C-USA) has won eight of its last nine outings, including a 5-3 victory at I-35 rival Texas State on Tuesday. The Roadrunners also sit in fourth place in the league standings, just one-and-a-half games behind the conference-leading Bulldogs (22-9, 7-2 C-USA).
In the win over the Bobcats, UTSA used a pair of two-run frames to defeat Texas State for the second time this spring and claim the season series. Kyrell Miller (2-0) picked up the win in the predetermined start, as the right-hander gave up an unearned run and two hits in three innings of work.
The Roadrunners' pitching staff has continued its improvement this spring. UTSA ranks second in C-USA with a 3.39 ERA. The staff also has limited opposing hitters to a .220 batting average.
UTSA head coach Jason Marshall will continue with his regular three-man rotation. Karan Patel (2-1, 2.76 ERA) will start on the mound on Friday night, while Steven Dressler (4-1, 2.56) will take the ball on Saturday. Chance Kirby (2-3, 4.01 ERA) is slated to close out the series on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech enters the weekend with wins in five of its last seven contests. The Bulldogs, who entered the national rankings for the first time earlier this week, suffered a 2-1 loss to UALR on Wednesday night in Ruston, La.
Louisiana Tech leads the league and ranks third in the nation with a 2.26 ERA. The Bulldogs also are hitting .272 as a team, which is good for seventh in the conference.
UTSA leads the all-time series, 12-6, which dates back to the 2001 season. The Roadrunners have won three of the last four meetings. UTSA won the season series a year ago, winning the first two games of the set. Louisiana Tech salvaged the series with a 6-0 win in the finale.
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