SAN ANTONIO – UTSA baseball rallied with five runs over the seventh and eighth innings to post a comeback 7-6 win over Middle Tennessee in the series opener on Friday night at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA (12-11, 4-4 Conference USA) posted a thrilling comeback win that saw the Roadrunners trailing after a two-run homer in the fifth inning and facing an early candidate for league pitcher of the year, Aaron Brown, who had faced the minimum through five shutout innings, retiring 15 straight hitters after surrendering a leadoff single in the first.
UTSA rallied in the sixth, plating two runs to tie the game on back-to-back homers from Nick Thornquist and Chase Keng, chasing Brown and getting into the Middle Tennessee bullpen. The Roadrunners then scored three in the seventh to take a 5-2 lead but the Blue Raiders answered to take the lead with a four-run eighth inning on the strength of three Roadrunners errors.
The Roadrunners answered with two in the eighth off flame-throwing 6-foot-6 freshman, Eriq Swan (0-1). Thornquist erased a leadoff walk trying to steal second base to open the ninth inning and Arturo Guajardo (1-0) finished off the win with the final two outs.
The win came in support of a brilliant start from sophomore righty John Chomko, making his second career start. A native of Tomball, Texas, Chomko worked a career-long six innings, striking out a career-best five, allowing three hits and two runs.
The Roadrunners turned to righty Luke Malone in relief of Chomko to open the seventh inning in a 2-2 game. Malone worked 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and three runs – one earned – striking out one. After the game-tying run reached first with one out in the eighth, Guajardo came out of the bullpen. He worked 1.2 innings for his first career win, walking one and striking out three.
UTSA got singles from Joshua Lamb, Griffin Paxton, Jonathan Tapia and Ian Bailey, with Paxton extending his hitting streak to 10 games with a leadoff knock in the bottom of the first. Rock's two-out, two-run single tied the game in the sixth, part of a 2-for-4 game with two RBI.
Thornquist and Keng went back-to-back with homers out to rightfield in the bottom of the seventh inning. They each had two hits, with Keng going for a double and homer and RBI, and Thornquist driving in two runs in a 2-for-4 game.
Middle Tennessee (15-12-1, 4-4-1 C-USA) saw Brown worked six-plus innings, allowing six hits and four runs, walking one and striking out seven. After the first four hitters reached – including the homers from Thornquist and Keng – Middle Tennessee turned to Josh Young in relief. Young worked a shutout seventh inning with a strikeout before giving way to Swan with a one-run lead. Swan got an out and allowed four hits and two runs. David Zoz followed Swan in relief, getting two outs in the eighth.
The series will resume with a doubleheader on Saturday, a pair of seven-inning games, starting at 2 p.m.
Middle Tennessee took a two-run lead in the top of the fifth inning, getting a one-out single from Daniel Freeman and a two-run homer from Brian Dillingham, his first of the year.
UTSA rallied to tie the game in the sixth, getting a single from Bailey with two outs and a hit by pitch on a 1-2 count from Paxton. After a wild pitch pushed both into scoring position, Rock fought off a full-count 91 mph fastball into rightfield to score the pair and even the game at 2-2.
Thornquist led off the bottom of the seventh with an opposite-field blast out to right, his fifth of the year. Keng followed with a line-drive blast out to rightfield, his fifth of the year. After a pair of free passes, including Lamb being hit by a pitch and a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt from Shea Gutierrez, Bailey lined a sacrifice fly out to left to score Lamb for a 5-2 lead.
MT rallied in the top of the eighth inning, getting a leadoff double from pinch hitter Gabe Jennings. After Fausto Lopez reached on a dropped third strike throwing error and a wild pitch pushed both into scoring position, JT Mabry grounded out up the middle to score Jennings. Cole Escher then scored Lopez with a single up the middle, glazing off the mitt of Malone on the mound, cutting the lead to 5-4. A short chopper down the third-base line from Brett Coker led to a throwing error to force home Escher, who stole second to get into scoring position. Coker came home to score on a throwing error up the middle.
The Roadrunners answered in the bottom of the eighth, getting a leadoff, two-strike single from Rock, who took second on a wild pitch. Thornquist lined an RBI single up the middle to score Rock and tie the game. Keng followed with a double inside the first base bag, pushing the pair into scoring position with one out. Lamb gave UTSA the lead with a two-strike single through the left side, scoring Thornquist.
GAME NOTES: Freshman RHP John Chomko made his seventh appearance and his second start … It was Chomko's first start since March 6 … Senior 1B Griffin Paxton has a team-leading 11-game hitting streak … Chomko set new career highs in innings (six) and strikeouts (five) … Paxton was hit by his sixth pitch of the year and the 13th of his career … Redshirt sophomore RHP Luke Malone worked in his seventh game of the year – his second in relief – and the 11th of his career … Senior C Nick Thornquist hit his fifth homer of the year and the 12th of his career … Senior RF Chase Keng hit his fifth homer of the year and the eighth of his career … Junior SS Joshua Lamb was hit by his fourth pitch of the year and the seventh of his career … Junior PH Shea Gutierrez laid down his second sac bunt of the year … Senior LF Ian Bailey hung his first sac fly of the year … Senior RHP Arturo Guajardo worked in his sixth game of the year … Keng doubled for the second time in 2021 and the 11th time in his career … Guajardo earned his first career win … Senior DH Kyle Bergeron had a team-leading 17-game streak of reaching base safely snapped.
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