CHARLOTTE – Ryan Stacy's second-inning grand slam powered UTSA past Charlotte 5-2 Friday at Hayes Stadium.
With the win, the Roadrunners improve to 26-27 overall and 13-15 in league play, securing a spot in the 2019 C-USA Baseball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve.
The loss eliminated the 49ers, dropping them to 20-31-1 on the campaign and 10-18-1 in league play.
Bryan Sturges gave UTSA a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the first.
Griffin Paxton led off the second with a walk. After the first out of the frame was recorded, Jonathan Tapia singled in front of Bryan Arias, who loaded the bags with a base-on-balls. Stacy lifted an 0-2 offering from Charlotte's starter, Carson Pinkney, to straight-away center, clearing the fence easily and vaulting UTSA to a 5-0 advantage.
Slater Foust, Hunter Mason and Jake Harrison shut down the home side's offense, allowing two runs on five hits, four walks and fanning five.
Foust started on the hill and faced one batter over the minimum through the first five frames of work, improving to 7-2 on the season. Dominick Cammarata ended Foust's scoreless innings streak at 9.2 when he homered to open up the home half of the sixth, cutting UTSA's lead to 5-1. The Niners added one more tally, but Foust closed the door, recording his second quality start in succession.
Mason allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out one in two scoreless innings of relief. In Charlotte's last turn at the plate, with one on and nobody out, Jake Harrison entered from the Roadrunners bullpen and induced a lazy fly ball to the left fielder for the first out. He coaxed a ground out to second, before striking out Josh Haney to end the game and secured a berth in the conference tournament, which begins Wednesday, May 22, in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Sturges and Hunter Grimes registered two hits each, while five other Roadrunners collected on knock.
Saturday's first pitch is at 11 a.m. It is the final game of the 2019 regular season.
- UTSA -
