SAN ANTONIO – Despite a 7-3 setback to UIW Sunday, UTSA claimed the 2020 Irish Alamo Classic Championship Trophy at Nelson W. Wolff Stadium Sunday.
The Roadrunners dropped to 6-2 on the season, including 3-1 in the Irish Alamo Classic. The Cardinals improved to 4-2, with one win in three games over the weekend. Hosts Notre Dame finished 2-1, while Toledo went home without a victory in four games.
UTSA jumpstarted UIW's offense in the fourth, putting runners on first and second with a walk and hit batsmen. Drew Minter roped a line drive down the left-field line and cashing in the first tally of the contest. Grant Smith followed suit five pitches later placing a single just inside the same foul line and by the time the dust settled two more markers were put up in the runs column for UIW. Jacob Jimenez, UTSA's fourth pitcher of the frame, fanned the first two batters he faced and limited the damage with a weak ground out to Bryan Sturges at first.
Sturges unleashed the Roadrunners attack in the top of the fifth with a blistering single through the left side of the infield. Designated hitter Hunter Grimes sent a similar smash through the 5.5 hole advancing Sturges one base. A wild pitch positioned both runners in scoring position. Sturges scored on a routine ground ball that was botched by the second baseman, putting runners on the corners and still no outs. Grimes scored on a sacrifice fly off Joshua Lamb's bat.
Jonathan Tapia increased the pressure when he drilled a 1-2 offering from Andrew Girod's back up the box and through the wickets into centerfield. UIW went to the bullpen and Andrew Morgan loaded the bags, walking Leyton Barry on four pitches. After a second pitching change, Dylan Rock lofted a fly ball deep enough to left to allow Keng to scamper home with the tying run but that's all the Roadrunners could muster against Aaron Celestino.
In the bottom of the frame, the Cardinals added two runs on two hits and another hit batter, commandeering the lead for good. In the seventh, they tacked on an additional pair of insurance runs with a walk, three hits and a defensive lapse. Celestino smothered the UTSA, retiring all 14 batters he faced and picking up his second win of the season.
UP NEXT:
UTSA wraps up the six-game road trip Tuesday in Beaumont, Texas with a 6 p.m. start against Lamar.
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