BILOXI, Miss. –Facing elimination from The First 2019 Conference USA Baseball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve, Slater Foust spun a masterpiece in UTSA's 3-2 victory over Old Dominion Thursday at MGM Park.
Foust allowed one run on four hits, two walks and striking out five in 7.1 innings, keeping the Roadrunners (27-29) hopes of a league title alive. The Monarchs' season ends with a mark of 35-21.
The first 12 ODU hitters were retired in order as Foust carried a perfect game into the fifth. Andy Garriola led off with a single, forcing UTSA's starting pitcher out of the windup for the first time.
A walk and hit batsman gave the Monarchs their best scoring opportunity against Foust in the first seven frames. He escaped damage when he induced a grounder to shortstop Hunter Grimes, who flipped to Bryan Arias, leaving the bags full.
Arias scored in the first, third and eighth innings as UTSA built a 3-0 advantage. He went 3 for 4 at the plate and missed hitting for a cycle, needing a triple.
Arias worked a walk to open the game and scored on a wild pitch with two outs. In the third, he blasted a two-out home run over the left center wall.
Both starting pitchers posted zeros through the middle frames until Arias led off with a double to right center in the eighth. A wild pitch advanced him to third and Bryan Sturges – UTSA's RBI leader – lifted a fly ball deep enough to left, scoring Arias with a sacrifice fly.
Ryan Stacy registered his second-consecutive two-hit game, while Griffin Paxton doubled in the fourth. Jake Harrison relieved Foust on the mound and recorded the final five outs to earn the save.
UTSA faces either Western Kentucky or Florida Atlantic in another elimination game Friday at 6:30 p.m.
- UTSA -
