HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Freshman Austin Ochoa belted a home run in his second collegiate at-bat but Sam Houston State used an early lead to post a 4-2 win over UTSA baseball, on Friday night in the season opener for the Roadrunners at Don Sanders Stadium.
UTSA (0-1) saw Sam Houston (1-1) build an early lead with a first-inning run and answered a UTSA game-tying tally in the top of the fourth with a two-run frame in the bottom of the inning. The Kats built a 4-1 lead with a single tally in the fifth before Ochoa's one-out blast in the ninth.
The Roadrunners saw five pitchers combine to allow only four runs over nine innings, with starter Luke Malone (0-1) working a team-leading 3.2 innings, allowing four hits and three runs, walking two and fanning three. He allowed the single tally in the first before running into trouble in the fourth. Hunter Mason took over in the fourth and worked 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and a run, walking two and striking out four.
UTSA also used freshman Kyle Sonduck, sophomore southpaw Jay Ward and fourth-year junior Zachary Griggs, with each working a shutout innings in relief, with Griggs fanning all three hitters he faced.
Junior Tyler Davis (1-0) worked five innings in the start for the BearKats, allowing four hits and one run. Tanner Sembera tossed 2.2 shutout in relief with sophomore righty Alex Havlicek, a Virginia Tech transfer, working the ninth for his first save.
Joshua Lamb led the UTSA offensive attack with a 2-for-4 game with a pair of doubles. UTSA had eight hits, including singles from Griffin Paxton, Dylan Rock, Ian Bailey, Shea Gutierrez and Jonathan Tapia. Ochoa, a native of Refugio, Texas, came off the bench for a pair of at-bats, including his ninth-inning solo shot.
The series will resume on Saturday at 12 p.m. in Huntsville.
Sam Houston opened the game with a run on one hit and a walk in the first. Colton Cowser reached on a one-out walk, scoring on Jack Rogers' RBI double.
UTSA got on the board in the fourth, getting a leadoff single from Bailey, who took third on a single from Gutierrez scored after an RBI groundout from Leyton Barry.
In the bottom of the fourth, Rogers doubled for the second of three times in the game, scoring on Blake Faecher's RBI single. Gavin Johnson then scored Christian Smith, who drew a walk, with an RBI single.
Cowser led off the fifth with a single and Rogers pushed him to third with a double. Christian Smith scored Cower with an RBI groundout to the right side.
Ochoa cranked the 3-1 offering with one out in the ninth out to left centerfield for his first career homer. UTSA got the tying run to the plate after Lamb's double but a groundout ended the contest.
GAME NOTES: DH Ian Bailey made his first career start … Redshirt sophomore righty Luke Malone made his second career start in his fifth career UTSA outing … Junior Joshua Lamb made his first career start at third base … Freshman Kyle Sonduck made his season debut with a shutout inning … Jay Ward worked a shutout inning in his UTSA debut … Freshman Austin Ochoa belted his first career homer in his second career at-bat.
- UTSA -
