BEAUMONT, Texas – A late power surge rallies UTSA past Lamar 4-2 at Vincent-Beck Stadium Tuesday.
The Roadrunners (7-2) dissembled the Cardinals (3-5) early pitching dominance, while Hunter Mason vanquished one hitter for the home side after another.
Knotted at 2-2 after seven innings, Bryan Sturges delivered the eventual game-winning hit for UTSA, driving a 2-2 offering into the right-center gap, scoring Jonathan Tapia and Dylan Rock in the visitor's eighth. Palmer Wenzel kept the Cardinals out of the run column and recorded his first win of the season.
Lamar pitchers combined to retire the first 10 batters in order, before Dylan Rock and Bryan Sturges recorded back-to-back singles in the fourth. An inning-ending double-play grounder extinguished the threat but it was foretelling of things to come.
Hunter Mason, who came in out of the Roadrunners bullpen with two outs in the second, continued to post zeros on the scoreboard and keeping his team in the game. He tossed a career-high 5.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out three. After the first two batters he faced reached – a single and one by catcher's interference – Mason retired the next 15 of the final 17 batters he faced, including 12 in a row.
Tapia roped a single to left to get things started in the top of the sixth. Shea Gutierrez moved him to second with the first of two sacrifice bunts on the night. Rock traded places with Tapia with a ringing double off the wall in left center, evening things at 1-1.
After another perfect frame from Mason in the home half of the sixth, Taylor Barber walloped a 2-1 offering from Lamar's Braydon Credeur over the barrier in left center. The no-doubter gave UTSA its first lead of the game but was short-lived as the hosts cashed in with a two-out RBI triple.
The Roadrunners reciprocated with two runs in the top of the eighth. Once again Tapia led off with a hit – doubling inside the left-field line – and advanced to third on Gutierrez's second sacrifice bunt. With two outs and Tapia lurking at third with the potential go-ahead, Lamar gambled and issued Rock an intentional walk. On a 2-2 delivery, Sturges surgically delivered a liner that split the outfielders and rolled to the wall, allowing Tapia and Rock to waltz home.
Wenzel worked a scoreless eighth and ninth frames, nailing down the Roadrunners fourth win in six days.
UP NEXT:
The Roadrunners return home Friday at 4 p.m. They kick off a four-game homestand, beginning with a three-game set against Grambling State and wrapping things up Monday when Texas A&M - Corpus Christi comes to town.
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