SAN ANTONIO – Darrell Freeman's three-run homer in the eighth inning powered Middle Tennessee to a 9-4 win over UTSA Sunday at Roadrunner Field.
With the loss in the rubber game of the three-game weekend series, the Roadrunners fall to 8-12 overall and 1-2 in Conference USA. The Blue Raiders move to 7-12 on the season and 2-1 in league action.
UTSA's first four batters in the lineup accounted for eight of the team's 11 hit, all four runs scored and two of the four RBIs.
Bryan Arias led the way with a 3-for-3 day at the dish and reached a fourth time when being struck by a pitch. Arias registered nine hits in 13 at-bats during the series.
Dylan Rock went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a run-batted-in. He singled in the sixth, extending his hitting streak to 20 games, equaling the forth longest in program history. This is the longest streak by a Roadrunner since Michael Rockett reached safely with a hit in 20-consecutive contests during the 2008 campaign.
Clean-up man, Bryan Sturges continued his hot hitting this weekend with a 2-for-4 day, including a double. Ryan Stacy, Shane Sirdashney, Garrett Moon and Chase Keng added a hit each, with Keng's coming in a pinch-hit role.
As was the case in the first two games of the series, the team that scored first was unable to earn the victory.
UTSA plated a 1-0 lead in the first, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from Sturges, plating Arias from third.
The lead was short lived as the Blue Raiders tallied four runs on five hits in their next opportunity on offense.
Sturges doubled to open the home fourth but was still there with two outs in the inning when Moon stepped in the batter's box. Liking the first pitch he saw, Moon smacked to the wall in left center, allowing Sturges to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Both team's pitching settled in and quieted the bats, combining to surrender five hits and no runs over the next three innings but that all changed in the eighth.
A single, hit batsman and a sacrifice bunt, put runners on second and third with one out in the visitor's eighth. Freeman turned on a 1-0 delivery and roped a laser deep to left, barely clearing the fence. His second home run in as many days and on the season extended his team's advantage to 7-2.
UTSA answered with two runs in the home half of the inning, remaining in striking distance at 7-4 with one more turn at the plate.
Arias has been hit by a pitch just 12 times in over 700 at-bats, took a 1-0 fastball off his elbow protector to open the frame He moved to second when Stacy was retired on a bang-bang play at first. Rock doubled into the left field corner and Arias waltzed home. Sturges followed and singled to left but he smashed it to smithereens, forcing Rock to hold up at third. Rock cut the deficit to three when he crossed the plate on a productive out by Griffin Paxton.
The guest from Murfreesboro, Tennessee responded with two runs on two hits, two sacrifices – one bunt, one SAC fly – and a hit-by-pitch in the ninth.
UTSA lost its first series of league play in 2019, as Middle Tennessee claimed the opener with a seven-run rally in the ninth Friday in a 7-4 win, and bounced back after a UTSA win Saturday, 10-4.
Blue Raiders starter David Zoz (1-0) worked 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits.
The Roadrunners begin a four-game road trip Tuesday, with all four games being in H-Town. First up is a midweek clash with Houston Baptist at 2 p.m. Tuesday, before taking on Rice in a three-game series Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
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