SAN ANTONIO – Early offense fueled UTSA's 13-3 dismantling of Quinnipiac at Roadrunner Field Sunday.
The Roadrunners (3-0) jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first with two-out hits by Hobbs Price and Taylor Barber. Price dumped a Texas Leaguer in front of the Bobcats (0-3) center fielder, scoring Bryan Sturges and Griffin Paxton. Barber followed with a double into the right-center gap, allowing Price to score from first.
Aided by a pair of miscues by UTSA's defense, Quinnipiac trimmed the advantage to 3-2 in the top of the second.
The Roadrunners responded with four in the bottom of the frame, extending the margin out to 7-2, highlighted by a double from Paxton that pushed two runs across the plate. Ryan Bishop was hit by a pitch – one of six on the day for the Roadrunners - to lead off the inning and moved around the bases without a hit, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Dylan Rock. Three batters later, Paxton drove in Sturges and Leyton Barry, before scoring on an RBI single from Barber.
Hunter Grimes, who got the start on the mound, delivered a perfect shutdown inning in the third, retiring the Bobcats in order, on nine pitches. He benefited from the run support to earn his first win of the year.
With one out in the third, the Roadrunners struck for three more runs, upping the margin to 10-2. Bishop, Lamb, Barry and Rock reached in succession, with the first three scoring. Barry's triple into the right-field corner plated two and he scored on a RBI base knock by Rock.
Quinnipiac scored once and loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth, before Pepper Jones was called out of the bullpen. Making his debut for UTSA, Jones left the bases juiced when he fanned Michael Kohn on three pitches.
A pair of errors by the defense assisted the Roadrunners build their lead out to double-digits at 13-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
With one on and no outs in the top of the seventh, Jacorey Boudreaux induced Kyle Maves to ground into a double-play. Jack Engelmann's Roadrunner debut was short-lived when relieved Boudreaux and coaxed a fly ball to center on the first pitch, where Rock was waiting to squeeze it and secure the run-rule win.
NEXT UP:
UTSA hits the road for the first time this season, kicking off a six-game road trip, beginning in Austin against the Longhorns at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
- UTSA -
