HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – For the first time in more than two months, UTSA's offense had to produce in a series opener Friday at the Kennedy Center.
The Roadrunners (22-24, 10-12 C-USA) responded with at least one run in each of the final seven innings, except the third. They banged out 14 hits in an 11-7 victory over Marshall (23-22, 10-12 C-USA).
Bryan Arias and Dylan Rock hit home runs for the visitors. Arias' long ball extended his home run streak to five games.
Joshua Shapiro stifled UTSA's bats the first time through the order, allowing one hit and fanning four. His teammates staked him to a 2-0 lead after two frames, plating one in the first without a hit, before adding another on a pair of two-out knocks in the second.
Falling behind 2-0 after two innings, UTSA rattled off six unanswered, courteous of three runs in the third and fifth frames.
In the fifth, the home side opened with five hits and cutting the deficit to 6-5.
Karan Patel, who entered with the lowest earned-run average in Conference USA and held an eight-game quality start streak going, was lifted with no outs and the tying run on third. This is the shortest outing of the season for Patel and the most earned runs he allowed since Feb. 22. He kept his teammates in every start for two-straight months and they returned the favor Friday.
Jake Harrison relieved Patel and allowed a two-out hit, evening the score at 6-6. He worked 4.0 innings, earning his second victory of the season, allowing one run on three hits, walking one and striking out three.
Shane Sirdashney knocked in the eventual game winner, recording his first-career triple, scoring Griffin Paxton, who led off the sixth with a single. Sirdashney crossed the plate on a single by Arias.
UTSA pulled away with solo tallies in each of the final three frames.
Hunter Mason worked the ninth for the Roadrunners and fanned two of the four batters he faced.
Due to inclement weather, Saturday's middle game of the series begins at 8 a.m. CDT.
