CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Senior Griffin Paxton notched his first career multi-homer game, highlighting UTSA's sweep-clinching 10-1 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, on Sunday at Chapman Field.
UTSA (8-7) put the finishing touches on a sweep of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4-14) with a rout of the Islanders. UTSA posted an 11-5 win on Friday night and plate three decisive runs in the eighth inning for a 7-4 win on Saturday.
The Roadrunners erupted for two in the second, three in the third and two in the fourth to build an insurmountable lead early, adding single tallies in the fifth, sixth and ninth.
Freshman Simon Miller (1-0) made his first career start for the Roadrunners, working five shutout innings, allowing just a walk and single, striking out one. He handed the ball to Kobe Jaramillo to open the sixth with a nine-run lead. Jaramillo worked two innings, allowing two hits and one run, walking one and striking out two. Ryan Ward finished the game with two shutout innings, walking one and striking out one.
Paxton, a native of West, Texas, went 3-for-5 with a walk and two homers, giving him four on the year. UTSA also got a solo homer from Dylan Rock – who went back-to-back with Paxton. Nick Thornquist had a 2-for-3 game with two walks.
Kyle Bergeron, Jonathan Tapia, Chase Keng, Austin Ochoa and Sean Arnold each added hits. Arnold drew a pair of walks.
Henry Bird worked 3.2 innings for the start for TAMU-CC, allowing eight hits and seven runs with three strikeouts.
UTSA will return to action on Friday with a three-game series at Rice to open Conference USA play, starting at 6 p.m.
The Roadrunners opened the scoring with two runs in the second, getting a leadoff single from Thornquist, who took second on an error and third on a productive groundout from Joshua Lamb. After a Tapia walk, Keng singled home Thornquist with a single and Tapia scored after a double-steal play allowed him to steal home.
UTSA got three in the third, as Paxton and Rock went back-to-back to open the inning. Bergeron followed with a single and Thornquist pushed him to third with a knock to left. Lamb hung a sac fly to score Bergeron for a 5-0 lead.
Thornquist drew a leadoff walk to open the fifth, taking second on a steal and third after the throw got away from the middle infield. He scored after a single from Tapia up the middle.
Arnold led off the sixth with a double, moving up a base after Paxton's single and scoring on a wild pitch.
The Islanders got their run in the seventh, getting a leadoff hit by pitch that scored on a sacrifice fly.
UTSA got a run in the ninth, with Lamb drawing a leadoff walk and Shane Sirdashney following with a walk. The pair moved up a base on a passed ball and scored after a RBI groundout from Taylor Barber.
GAME NOTES: Simon Miller made his first career start in his fourth outing … 1B Griffin Paxton homered for the third and fourth times on the year, his first career multi-homer game … CF Dylan Rock belted his third homer of the year … Miller worked a career-high five innings, earning his first career win … RHP Kobe Jaramillo pitched in his fourth game of the year … LHP Ryan Ward pitched in his fourth game of the year.
- UTSA -
