SAN ANTONIO – Dylan Rock and Chris Shull each belted their first home runs of the year and Reece Easterling worked six innings without allowing an earned run, leading UTSA baseball to a 16-1 win over UT Arlington to clinch the four-game series, on Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA (5-2) posted a rout in its four-game series finale, claiming wins on Friday (13-1) and in the opener of a doubleheader on Saturday (3-0), before falling in the nightcap, 2-1 after an eighth-inning go-ahead homer from the Mavs.
The Roadrunners pitching staff turned in a stellar outing through the weekend against one of the favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference in 2021. UTSA's staff combined to work 34 innings over the four games, surrendering just four runs and three earned runs. UTSA outscored the Mavs, 33-4 over the four games.
UTSA opened the scoring with a tally in the second, adding three in the fourth, fourth in the fifth, fourth in the sixth, two in the seven and two in the eighth. UTA got a run in the fifth after a pair of UTSA errors.
Each UTSA hitter in the lineup collected hits, including multiple-hit games from Rock, Shull, Griffin Paxton, Austin Ochoa and Joshua Lamb.
Rock, a junior outfielder out of Sugar Land, Texas, belted his 10th career homer and his first of 2021 as part of a 2-for-5 game with three RBI. Shull, making his collegiate debut, went 2-for-4 with his first career blast.
Lamb went 3-for-5 with four RBI and Jonathan Tapia added a 3-for-5 game. Kyle Bergeron, Ian Bailey and Nick Thornquist each added knocks.
Easterling (1-0) worked a career-long six innings, allowing just one unearned run, walking one and striking out four. With an 11-run lead to open the seventh, UTSA turned to freshman righty Kobe Jaramillo for his collegiate debut. Jaramillo fanned two in a strong inning, before giving way to Zachary Griggs for the eighth, who worked around a hit and walk. Simon Miller worked the ninth in his collegiate debut.
UTA (5-5) starter Mat Novis (0-2) worked 3.1 innings, allowing three hits and four runs – three earned – with two walks and five strikeouts. Righty Logan Austin took over for Novis in the fourth, working two outs, with three runs surrendered. UTA also used Riley Bost, Brennan Smith Brayden Brooks, Tristan Tom and Trevor Pruitt in relief.
UTSA will return to action on Wednesday, hosting No. 9 TCU at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners struck in the bottom of the second inning, getting a one-out walk from Ochoa, who took second on a wild pitch. Lamb scored Ochoa with a single into rightfield.
UTSA added on in the fourth plating three runs on four hits for a 4-0 lead. Nick Thornquist drew a one-out walk, scoring from first on Ochoa's double into the gap. Bergeron followed with a RBI single through left side, taking second on a fielding error. After a pitching change, Lamb greeted Austin with an RBI single up the middle, allowing Bergeron to score.
The Mavericks struck in the top of the fifth inning, getting Andrew Miller on with a leadoff error. Anthony Dominguez followed with a single to rightfield and was replaced on first after a fielder's choice from Josh Minjarez, with the attempted throw to first for a double play, sailing wide, allowing Miller to score from second.
UTSA answered in the bottom of the fifth with a four-run frame for an 8-1 lead. Griffin Paxton was hit by a pitch to open the inning and Rock followed with a single through the right side. Bailey followed with an RBI single through the left side on a 0-2 offering, scoring Paxton. After a Thornquist fly out, Ochoa drew a walk. Kyle Bergeron forced home Rock with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. Lamb then delivered a two-run double on a smash down the leftfield line, allowing Bailey and Ochoa to score.
In the sixth, Shull extended the lead with a two-run homer, cranked out to leftfield, scoring Tapia, who led off with a single to centerfield. After Paxton doubled into centerfield, Rock cranked a first-pitch blast over the left-centerfield fence, his first homer of the year and the 10th of his career.
UTSA added two in the seventh, getting an RBI single from Paxton and an RBI groundout from Rock.
The Roadrunners added two in the eighth after a bases-loaded walk and a hit by pitch.
GAME NOTES: Freshman LF Chris Shull made his collegiate debut … RHP Reece Easterling made his second start … 3B Austin Ochoa doubled for the second time in 2021 … 1B Griffin Paxton was hit by his first pitch of the year and the eighth of his career … CF Dylan Rock stole his second base of the year and the 20th of his career … RF Ian Bailey stole his second base of the year … LF Chris Shull belted his first career home run in his third career at-bat … 1B Griffin Paxton doubled for the second time in 2021 … Rock homered for the 10th time in his career and the first in 2021 … Freshman RHP Kobe Jaramillo made his collegiate debut … Easterling worked a career-long six innings … RHP Zachary Griggs appeared in his second game of the year and the 23rd of his career … UTSA turned its seventh double play of the year in the eighth inning … RHP Simon Miller made his collegiate debut … UT Arlington leads the all-time series 47-33, with UTSA owning a 20-17 advantage in games played in San Antonio.
- UTSA -
