SAN ANTONIO – Bryan Sturges, Bryan Arias and Nick Thornquist homer in UTSA's 8-5 victory over No. 30 Texas State at Roadrunner Field.
With the victory, UTSA improved to 21-24 this season, including 7-4 in midweek contests, while the 30th-ranked Bobcats fell for just the 14th time in 45 games.
Griffin Paxton drove in the first two runs of the game with a two-out single up the middle, scoring Bryan Sturges and Dylan Rock in the home first.
Texas State plated two in the top of the third to square the game at 2-2.
Sturges reestablished UTSA's two-run advantage with a towering home run over the left-field wall, scoring Stacy, who reached with his second single of the night.
With two outs and no one on in the home sixth, Shane Sirdashney reached when he was hit by a pitch. Arias followed with a homer for the 26thtime in his career, moving into ninth on the Roadrunners all-time list. Stacy followed with a double down the left-field line and scored on an RBI single by Sturges.
Thornquist belted his sixth homer of the season to open the bottom of the seventh and extending the advantage to 8-2.
In the eighth, the Bobcats sent eight men to the plate and scored three on two singles, a walk and a hit batsman.
Bradley Griggs entered from the UTSA bullpen with the tying run on deck and just one out in the frame. He threw a 3-2 pitch past Shuffield for a strikeout. Former Roadrunner Skyler Valentine drove in two with a two-out single to left but Griggs thwarted the rally by fanning the next batter. He worked a scoreless ninth, registering his first save of the season.
Hunter Grimes made the second start of his freshman campaign on the mound. He worked 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and fanning two. He retired six of the first seven batters faced through two scoreless innings but was unable to get through the third.
Ryan Newman dropped a blooper down the right-field line to open the third with a double. With one out, Jaylen Hubbard flipped a two-bagger into left. He scored the equalizer when Jaxon Williams followed with a solid double off the wall in left center.
Connor Heffron replaced Grimes on the mound – shutting down the rally. He improved to 1-1 on the season after tossing two scoreless innings, retiring the final six batters he faced.
Stacy netted a 4-for-5 night at the plate and scored twice, while Sturges went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Arias, Rock, Thornquist, Paxton and Sirdashney each registered a hit for the Roadrunners.
UTSA hits the road for a three-game weekend series in Huntington, West Virginia against Conference USA foe Marshall. Friday's first pitch in the series opener is at 2:30 p.m. Saturday's contest begins at 2 p.m. and the finale is Sunday at 1 p.m. All game times are Central Daylight Time.
