SAN ANTONIO -- Making his first career start, Palmer Wenzel tossed a career-high six innings, leading UTSA to a 5-2 win over McNeese State in the series finale, on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA (1-2) was able to post the win in the series finale vs. McNeese State (2-1), bouncing back after the Cowboys earned decisive wins in the first two games of the 2019 season. After the Cowboys started the scoring in the top of the first, UTSA plated two in the bottom of the frame, answered a game-tying run in the third with a tally in the bottom of the third, and extended its lead with two in the seventh.
Wenzel (1-0) made his first career start in his 27th career outing. Wenzel, a product of San Antonio's Boerne High School, worked a career-long six innings, allowing five hits and two runs, walking one and striking out five, hitting a trio of batters. He allowed a single tally in the first and third innings and exiting with a 3-2 lead to open the seventh. Wenzel is now 6-2 in his two-year UTSA career.
The Roadrunners called on junior righty Cameron Carver in relief of Wenzel. Carver, a native of Bryan, Texas, worked the final three innings for the save, retiring all nine hitters he faced and striking out two.
McNeese State's Jonathan Ellison (0-1) worked two outs into the first inning, allowing a pair of runs before righty Hunter Reeves took over on the mound. Reeves worked 1.1 perfect innings before Cain Ueckert started the third in relief, with Ueckert working four innings and allowing a run. McNeese State also used Aiden Anderson in relief.
The UTSA offensive attack was paced by a two-hit game from junior infielder Griffin Paxton, who drove in three of the five runs. Dylan Rock added an RBI single, with UTSA also getting a double from junior catcher Nick Thornquist and eighth-inning hits from Chase Keng and Chase Hacker.
UTSA will return to action on Tuesday, hosting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field in a game streamed live on CUSA.tv.
For the second time in the first three games, McNeese State struck for the lead in the top of the first. Peyton Harden reached on a one-one infield error and motored to third on Shane Selman's double down the rightfield line. Clayton Rasbeary then grounded out up the middle, allowing Harden to score.
In the bottom of the first inning, UTSA rallied, getting Jonathan Tapia on first after a leadoff hit by pitch, with Paxton following with a walk. After Tapia stole third base, Dylan Rock hung a sacrifice fly into left-centerfield to score Tapia. Thornquist then painted a double down leftfield line to push Paxton to third base. After a pitching change, Paxton scored on a wild pitch.
The Cowboys evened up the game in the third, getting a leadoff hitter on after a first-pitch by by pitch. After a wild pitch moved the runner into scoring position with one out, Rasbeary one-hopped a single into centerfield to score Nate Fisbeck.
UTSA immediately answered in the bottom of the third as Tapia led off with a walk and stole second base. Paxton then lofted a single into shallow left, scoring Tapia from second base.
In the bottom of the seventh inning UTSA got on the board for a 5-2 lead. Chase Keng drew a one-out walk and Tapia was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch moved the pair into scoring position with two outs, Paxton singled down the leftfield line to score the duo.
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