HOUSTON – Ian Bailey and Joshua Lamb each cranked home runs, leading UTSA baseball to a series-clinching 11-3 win at Rice, on Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park.
UTSA (11-8, 3-1 Conference USA) claimed three of the four games at Rice for its second consecutive series win over the Owls. The Roadrunners won the series in 2019 in Houston and have now won six of the last eight meetings with the Owls. It marks the first and second all-time series wins over Rice, who owned a 22-5 lead in the series before UTSA's current stretch, the best eight-game stretch vs. the Owls in series history.
The Roadrunners plated three in the first – including the Lamb homer – and one in the second, before the Owls got three back in the bottom of the second. UTSA opened up the game in the fourth with a five-run frame, including a leadoff blast from Bailey. The Roadrunners added a two-run frame in the sixth.
UTSA's red-hot offensive attack was led by the homers from Bailey and Lamb, with Bailey belting his team-leading fifth and Lamb – who hit a grand slam on Friday – hitting his third of the year.
Taylor Barber had a season-best three-hit game in his second start of the year, driving home a pair.
UTSA also got hits from Kyle Bergeron, Dylan Rock, Austin Ochoa and Griffin Paxton. Junior Jonathan Tapia scored three runs.
UTSA starter Kobe Jaramillo (1-0) worked a career-long five innings for his first career win, allowing five hits and three runs, walking two and striking out three. With an eight-run lead opening the sixth, UTSA turned to lefty Grant Miller in relief. The lefty Miller worked the final four innings for his first save of the year, allowing five hits and striking out two.
Rice (12-12, 1-3 C-USA) starter Brandon Deskins (1-3) worked 3.2 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks, striking out six. Rice also used Drake Greenwood, Alex DeLeon and Matthew Linskey in relief.
UTSA returns to action on Thursday, hosting Southern Miss (14-9, 1-3 C-USA) at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field on CUSA TV. The Golden Eagles faced the league's hottest foe, No. 21 Louisiana Tech in a four0game series
The Roadrunners struck first in the top of the first inning, getting Nick Thornquist on with a two-out error. Lamb promptly scored him with a first-pitch, two-run homer, laced inside the foul pole down the rightfield line for his third homer of the year. After Tapia drew a four-pitch walk, Ochoa painted a double inside the third-base bag, allowing the speedy second baseman to motor home for a 3-0 lead.
UTSA added on in the second, getting a leadoff runner on via a Taylor Barber hit by pitch and a Bergeron double to leftfield. Rock was issued a walk on a 3-1 offering, with the ball skidding away from the catcher to allow Barber to scoot home for a 4-0 lead.
Rice got three runs back in the second, with a three-run, two-out double from Cade Edwards.
Bailey led off the fourth with a solo homer – his fifth of the year – cranked out to leftfield. Barber then singled into left and Bergeron followed with a full-count walk. That allowed Rock to push an RBI single out to rightfield, scoring Barber and putting runners on the corners. After the first out, Lamb hung a sac fly out to centerfield, scoring Bergeron. After Tapia was hit by a pitch and Rice went to the bullpen, Paxton ripped a two-run, pinch-hit double to left to take the lead to 9-3.
UTSA rallied again in the sixth, getting Tapia and Paxton on with three-ball hit by pitches to open the frame, with the pair moving up a base after a failed pickoff attempt.
GAME NOTES: Freshman RHP Kobe Jaramillo made his fifth appearance and his second start … Junior CF Milan Walla made his UTSA debut … Junior SS Joshua Lamb belted his third homer of the year … Lamb has reached base safely in 13 straight games … Lamb has a team-leading 12 two-out RBI on the year … Freshman 3B Austin Ochoa doubled for the fifth time in 2021 … Ochoa has three two-out RBI in 2021 … Senior 1B Taylor Barber was hit by his first career pitch … Senior DH Kyle Bergeron has reached base safely in 13 straight games … Bergeron doubled for the fifth time … Senior LF Ian Bailey hit his team-high fifth homer of the year … Lamb hung his fourth sac fly of the year and the seventh of his career … Junior 2B Jonathan Tapia was hit by his fifth pitch of the year and the 28th of his career … Griffin Paxton recorded his first pinch hit of the year … Paxton extended his hitting streak to seven games … Paxton doubled for the sixth time in 2021 and the 20th time in his career … Junior OF Dylan Rock was hit by his 24th career pitch and his fourth of 2021 … Jaramillo set a new career high in innings pitched and strikeouts … Tapia was hit by his sixth pitch of the year and the 29th of his career … Paxton was hit by his fifth pitch of the year and the 12th of his career … Junior LHP Grant Miller worked in his fifth game of the year … Senior C Nick Thornquist had his nine-game hitting streak snapped, also snapping his streak of reaching base safely in 17 straight snapped … UTSA has won six of the last eight games with Rice, the best stretch in program history … this marked just the second all-time series win over the Owls and the second consecutive, also taking two of three in Houston in 2019 … Miller earned his first save of the year and the second of the year for UTSA.
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