CHARLOTTE, N.C. – UTSA used a seven-run 10th inning to rally past No. 21 Charlotte and post an 11-5 win at the league-leading 49ers – snapping their school-record 11-game winning streak, on Sunday afternoon at Hayes Stadium.
UTSA (15-15, 7-8 Conference USA) snapped Charlotte's 11-game winning streak with the furious rally in the seventh inning, which was played under international tiebreaker rules with a runner placed on second base to open each half of the extra innings.
UTSA batted around in the top of the 10th, scoring seven runs – highlighted by a two-run homer from Dylan Rock and a two-run triple from Ryan Hunt – before closing out the win by allowing just the tiebreaker runner to score for the final margin in the bottom of the 10th.
UTSA opened the game with four in the first inning but Charlotte responded with two in the bottom of the game and evened it with two in the bottom of the third. The teams then squared off in a pitching duel of middle relievers, as seven straight scoreless innings took the game into extra innings.
It marked UTSA's sixth extra-inning game of the year, its most since playing six in 2011.
The Roadrunners were led by homers from Rock and Joshua Lamb, with Lamb driving in four runs in a two-hit game and Rock driving in a pair and adding two walks. Junior outfielder Ryan Hunt, making is fourth career start, went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a triple. UTSA also got hits from Nick Thornquist, Leyton Barry, Taylor Barber, Chase Keng and Griffin Paxton. Keng had a triple to open the scoring in the 10th and Paxton stretched his hitting streak to 18 games with a 1-for-5 outing.
UTSA starter Pepper Jones worked two-plus innings, allowing six hits and four runs, walking two with a strikeout. After the first four hitters reached to open the third inning, UTSA turned to freshman Daniel Garza in relief. Garza spun a gem, allowing just two singles and two walks over five shutout innings, striking out two.
With a 2-0 count on the leadoff hitter to open the eighth inning, lefty Grant Miller took over for Garza, issuing a walk before Jacob Jimenez emerged from the bullpen. Jimenez (1-1) earned the win, allowing no runs in two shutout innings in his second outing of the year. Luke Malone worked the 10th inning, getting three quick outs to clinch the win.
Charlotte (25-10, 14-2 C-USA) starter Kolton Scherbenske did not record an out, allowing a single and a pair of walks to open the game. Lefty Trae Starnes came on in relief with the bases loaded in the first inning, getting three outs before giving way to Andrew Lindsey. Lindsey worked seven shutout innings, allowing six singles and two walks, striking out six. Charlotte used Christian Lothes in a shutout ninth before handing the ball to Jackson Boss in the 10th, who allowed three runs on three hits, getting an out in the frame. Casey Bargo came on with an out in the 10th inning, allowing three runs over two outs recorded.
UTSA will return to action on Friday, starting a four-game series with Rice, starting at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.
For the fourth straight game to open the series, UTSA scored first, plating four runs on two hits and two walks in the first inning. Paxton led off with a single up the middle and Rock and Thornquist followed with walks to load the bases. Chase Keng then lined a sacrifice fly out to leftfield, allowing Paxton to score the first run of the game. Lamb then smashed a three-run homer over the fence in left-centerfield, his fifth home run of the year.
The 49ers answered in the bottom of the first inning, getting a leadoff walk, a hit by pitch and an RBI double from Dominic Pilolli to get on the board. Carson Johnson then loaded the bases with one out for Todd Elwood, who forced home a run with a fielder's choice up the middle, just beating out the back end of a potential double play.
Pilolli tied up the game with a two-run homer – his third of the weekend and fourth of the year – to open the third inning, scoring Austin Knight, who led off the inning with a single.
UTSA opened the 10th inning with Thornquist placed on second base in international tie-breaker rules on getaway day. Keng tripled him home with a liner off the wall in left-centerfield, scoring after Lamb hung a sacrifice fly to right. Barry followed with a double and Gutierrez singled on a bunt knock, putting runners on the corners with one out. Hunt then scored the pair with a triple down the leftfield line, taking advantage of the Charlotte decision to play with a two-man outfield and a five-man infield. Jonathan Tapia then forced home Hunt with a sacrifice bunt against the Charlotte infield, playing just on the dirt with five men. Rock then followed a Paxton hit-and-run groundout with a two-run homer, his fifth of the year, as UTSA plated seven runs in the frame for an 11-4 lead.
Charlotte plated its tiebreaking runner to open the bottom of the 10th inning, as a pair of productive groundouts cut the lead to 11-5.
GAME NOTES: Junior RHP Pepper Jones appeared in his third game of the year and made his second start … Senior 1B Griffin Paxton has an 18-game hitting streak, tying Riley Good (2013) for the ninth-longest streak in UTSA history … Junior RF Chase Keng hung his second sac fly of the year and the fourth of his career … Junior SS Joshua Lamb homered for the fifth time on the year … Junior 2B Shea Gutierrez was hit by his second pitch of the year and the third of his UTSA career … Garza worked a career long outing … Senior C Nick Thornquist extended his hitting streak to eight games … Junior LHP Grant Miller worked in his 10th game of the year … Junior RHP Jacob Jimenez worked in his second game of 2021 and the sixth of his career … UTSA played its sixth extra-inning game of the year, its most since playing six in 2011 … Keng belted his first triple of the year and the fifth of his career … Sophomore LF Leyton Barry doubled for the first time on the year and the second time in his career … Hunt tripled for the first time in his career … Jonathan Tapia laid down his third sac bunt of the year and the 10th of his career … Lamb has eight career sac flies and five in 2021 … Junior CF Dylan Rock hit his fifth homer of the year and his team-leading 15th career blast … Redshirt sophomore RHP Luke Malone worked in his 10th game of the year and the 14th of his career … Jimenez improved to 1-0 on the year and 2-2 in his two-year UTSA career.
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