SAN ANTONIO -- A total of 12 runs over the middle innings backed up a strong start from Rhett Deaton to push McNeese State to a 16-5 win at UTSA baseball in its season opener, on a perfect night at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA (0-1) fell in its season lidlifter vs. McNeese State (1-0) as the Cowboys took the lead with a single tally in the third and used three unearned runs in the fifth to take a four-run lead and busted it open with four runs in the sixth. The Cowboys hit five homers, including back-to-back shots in the eighth inning and two from Clayton Rasbeary, coming in the eighth and ninth innings. Rasbeary went 3-for-5 with five RBI.
UTSA starter Karan Patel (0-1) worked five innings, allowing four hits and four runs – one earned – walking two and striking out seven. He allowed a single run in the third inning before three unearned runs scored in the fifth. The Roadrunners turned to fourth-year junior Jake Harrison in relief of Patel. Harrison worked 1.2 innings, allowing five runs before freshman righty Hunter Grimes made his collegiate debut in relief in the seventh, getting three outs and allowing three runs. Lefty Connor Heffron worked in the eighth and ninth innings, allowing three runs.
UTSA collected nine hits in the game, including the 46th and 47th career doubles from senior infielder Bryan Arias, which ranks seventh in UTSA history. Arias, a preseason All-America honoree, went 2-for-5 in his season debut. Senior centerfielder Ryan Stacy went 2-for-4 with his seventh career homer and a double, and Dylan Rock added a 1-for-3 game.
Junior first baseman Griffin Paxton added a double – his first career hit – and junior backstop Garrett Moon notched a hit. Bryan Sturges went 1-for-4 with a ninth-inning single.
Deaton (1-0) spun a pitch-count limited gem in the win, allowing just three hits in five-shutout, striking out four and throwing just 63 pitches. He turned the game over to righty Zach Rider with an eight-run lead to open the sixth inning. Rider, lefty Will Dion and Brett Payne combined to work the final four innings.
The series will resume on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Roadrunner Field. UTSA will turn to senior southpaw Bradley Griggs for his first start of the year. Griggs has made 42 career appearances with one start and went 0-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 18 relief outings and one start in 2018. McNeese State has yet to announce a starting pitcher for Saturday.
The Cowboys opened the scoring in the top of the third inning, getting a two-out single from Reid Bourque, who took second after Nate Fisheck was hit by a full-count pitch. Payton Harden then bounced a single up the middle to score Bourque.
In the top of the fifth inning, McNeese State stretched its lead with three unearned runs on two hits, a walk and an error. Jacob Stracner led off the frame with a first-pitch single into centerfield, taking second after an infield single with two outs from Harden. Shane Selman drew a walk to load the bases with two outs for Clayton Rasbeary. Rasbeary lofted a waist-high line drive into the outfield that was misplayed, allowing a pair of runs to score for a 4-0 McNeese State lead.
Jake Dickerson led off the sixth inning and greeted Harrison with a homer launched out to rightfield to give McNeese State a 5-0 lead. The Cowboys followed with a single, four-pitch walk and misplayed bunt single to load the bases. After a pair of outs, a run scored after a wild pitch and Selman scored a pair with a two-run single up the middle.
Stacy ripped his seventh career homer with one out in the sixth inning, a solo shot pulled down the rightfield line.
Carson Maxwell led off the seventh inning with a solo shot out to centerfield, launching an 0-2 offering for his first blast of the year.
Selman launched a two-run, two-out homer in the eighth inning, to give McNeese an 11-1 lead and scoring Nate Fishbeck, who drew a four-pitch walk. Rasbeary then launched the next pitch over the right-centerfield fence.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, UTSA plated a pair of runs, getting a two-out single from Rock, who scored after a two-out throwing error. Paxton came around to score on a wild pitch. Taylor Barber came off the bench with a pinch-hit, two-out RBI single into rightfield.
A two-out triple for McNeese State stretched the lead to 14-4 in the ninth and then Rasbeary hit a two-run homer – his second in as many at-bats – to take the lead to 16-4.
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