AUBURN, Ala. -- Jack Owen worked a complete-game shutout on just 98 pitches to lead No. 17 Auburn to a 5-0, series-clinching win in the first game of a series-concluding doubleheader, on Saturday at Plainsman Park.
UTSA (7-8) battled Auburn (13-2) into the fifth inning of a scoreless game before a solo homer lifted the Tigers to the game-winning run. Auburn added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and two in the seventh for the final margin.
UTSA starter Slater Foust (2-1) worked 4.2 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, walking two and striking out one. Senior southpaw Bradley Griggs stranded a runner in relief in the fifth and worked 2.1 innings, allowing six hits and four runs, striking out three. Hunter Grimes relieved Griggs to open the eighth.
Owen (3-0) extended his streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 25. He has allowed just 14 hits and two walks, striking out 26 in 2019. He allowed just four hits and no walks, retiring 17 straight to end his outing. The program record for consecutive innings worked to open the year is owned by John Powell (27.2).
UTSA was limited to four hits in the game, including a single from Dylan Rock, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games to open the year. Ryan Stacy, Bryan Sturges and Shane Sirdashney each added singles.
The Roadrunners will conclude the series with Auburn at 5:10 p.m. CT from Plainsman Park. UTSA will then return to action on Tuesday, traveling to face Houston at 6 p.m.
The Tigers got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, getting a solo shot from Matt Scheffler over the leftfield fence. It marked the first homer allowed by Foust in 2019.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Edouard Julien led off with an infield single, taking second after a collision at first base allowed the ball to skid into the dugout. Rankin Wooley then lofted an RBI single into shallow left-centerfield. Kason Howell forced home Wooley with a two-out infield single for a 3-0 lead.
An RBI double from Steven Williams and a run-scoring single from Rankin stretched the lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh.
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