SAN ANTONIO -- A pair of four-run innings fueled a comeback win for UTSA baseball over Houston Baptist, 11-8, marking the 200th win of Coach Jason Marshall's career, on Tuesday night at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA (19-22) rallied after allowing a five-run first inning behind four-run innings in the second and third. With the game tied at eight, the Roadrunners got three straight RBIs from Aldo Buendia, a two-out knock in the fourth and a two-run knock in the sixth - to take a lead in the middle innings. Marshall is 200-184 in his seventh year with the Roadrunners.
Taylor Barber paced UTSA with first career four-hit game. Nick Thornquist registered a three-hit night and six other position players added at least one knock. Barber, Thornquist, Bryan Arias and Dylan Rock each had extra-base hits, with Ryan Stacy, Griffin Paxton and Shane Sirdashney adding hits. Buendia had a career-best four RBI.
UTSA's pitching staff shined in the midweek win, with five pitchers combining to allow just two earned runs. The Roadrunners started Jake Harrison, who worked two innings and allowed five unearned runs on three hits, walking one and striking out four. Hunter Grimes worked the third and Griggs (2-3) came on to toss shutout innings in the fourth and fifth. After UTSA took a one-run lead, Daughety came on in relief. Daughety retired all six he faced to hand the ball to Connor Heffron with an 11-8 lead in the eighth. Heffron struck out the side in the eighth and finished off the save in the ninth.
Houston Baptist (13-27) starter Brent Pronger worked 2.1 innings, allowing eight hits and eight runs, walking two and striking out one. Solomon Kilmeck (2-1) suffered the loss after allowing the go-ahead run in the fourth.
UTSA will return to action on Friday with the opener of a three-game series with WKU at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.
Houston Baptist opened the scoring with five runs on three hits in the first inning, including a grand slam from Anthony Jones, his third homer of the year.
UTSA answered in the bottom of the second inning, plating four runs to cut the lead to 5-4. UTSA got hits from Thornquist and Barber to open, with Paxton and Buendia forcing home runs with groundouts. After a Sirdashney single, Arias doubled into the gap to score Sirdashney and Stacy scored Arias with a single into centerfield.
Johnny Gonzales got a run back for the Huskies in the top of the third, belting his fifth homer of the year to leadoff the frame. Jones drove in his fifth run of the game with a double into the gap and scored after a pair of throwing errors.
UTSA rallied in the bottom of the third inning, getting a leadoff walk from Rock and a double from Thornquist. Barber scored the duo with a single into centerfield and Paxton dropped a single into shallow center. After a sacrifice bunt pushed the runners into scoring position, Sirdashney singled up the middle to score a pair and even the game at 8-8.
Buendia gave UTSA the lead with a single tally in the fourth, smacking a two-out RBI single through the left side, scoring Thornquist, who singled with one out.
In the sixth inning, Rock doubled to leadoff and Paxton was hit by a two-out pitch. After Paxton took second, Buendia singled up the middle to plate Rock and Paxton for a 11-8 lead.
- UTSA -
