RUSTON, La. -- UTSA baseball plated three runs in the seventh inning to rally from behind and Hunter Mason and Arturo Guajardo combined over three shutout innings to close the game, leading the Roadrunners to a 7-5 win at No. 14 Louisiana Tech in the series opener of a four-game set, on Friday night in front of 1,548 at J.C. Love Field.
The Roadrunners rallied from down 5-4 with three runs in the seventh inning to take a two-run lead at powerhouse Louisiana Tech. UTSA then used dynamic relief performances from Mason and Guajardo to finish off the win to open the series.
UTSA opened the scoring with the first four runs of the game, including single tallies in the second and third and two in the fourth, before the Bulldogs used a two-run fourth and a three-run sixth to take the lead.
UTSA (22-21, 14-14 Conference USA) rallied past Louisiana Tech courtesy of the clutch relief pitching and an offensive attack that collected seven runs on 10 hits, six walks and three steals.
Leyton Barry cranked UTSA's lone homer, his fourth of the year, as part of a 2-for-3 game with two RBI and a walk. Jonathan Tapia was 2-for-5 with a double at the top of the lineup, with Dylan Rock going 2-fo-4 with a walk and two steals.
UTSA also saw Chris Shull deliver an RBI single, Ian Bailey and Nick Thornquist each notch hits, and Joshua Lamb go 1-for-5 with a double to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Griffin Paxton drove in a run and drew a walk.
The Roadrunners called on junior right-hander Pepper Jones for the start, the fifth of his career. Jones worked 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, walking three and striking out three.
After a pair of runs scored in the fourth – on the only two hits he allowed – the Roadrunners turned to lefty Jay Ward to face a left-handed hitter with a pair on base. Ward picked off a runner to escape the jam and got the left-handed hitter out to open the fifth, before giving way to Luke Malone, who got a pair of outs to end the fifth.
With the first two reaching to open the sixth inning, the Roadrunners turned to lefty Grant Miller (1-2). The two runs scored – charged to Malone – before the go-ahead tally scored off Miller, who got three outs in the sixth. Mason opened the seventh in relief, working two-plus innings, allowing two hits and no walks, striking out three.
After a leadoff single to open the ninth in a two-run game, the Roadrunners called on Guajardo out of the bullpen. He worked around a walk to open his outing with two strikeouts for his second save of the year.
The Roadrunners, courtesy of a Charlotte win over Rice in Houston and their win to open the series at the Bulldogs, clinched a berth in the C-USA Championships, which will be hosted by LA Tech on May 26-30 in Ruston.
Louisiana Tech (33-13, 19-8 C-USA) starter Jonathan Fincher (7-1) worked six-plus innings in his first loss of the year, allowing nine hits and six runs, walking three and striking out seven, throwing 115 pitches, his third game of the year throwing over 115 pitches. It marked the worst outing of the year for Fincher, who entered the start with a 2.06 ERA to make a case for C-USA Pitcher of the Year. He allowed a season-high in runs, doubling up a previous high of three earned runs allowed in three starts in 2021.
It marked the second straight weekend, UTSA has faced one of the top three contenders for C-USA Pitcher of the Year. Last weekend, UTSA plated nine runs in 3.2 innings against Old Dominion's Hunter Gregory, who was 6-1 with a 2.15 ERA entering the start.
One of two key LA Tech late-inning relievers, Landon Tomkins was the first man called on in relief of Fincher, taking over with a pair of leadoff runners opening the seventh inning. He walked two hitters on seven pitches before giving way to Kyle Crigger – LA Tech's other key late-game reliever – in a bases-loaded jam of a tie game in the seventh.
The series resumes with a pair of seven-inning games on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. at J.C. Love Field. UTSA will start junior righty Jacob Jimenez (2-2, 2.79 ERA) in the opener against Louisiana Tech starter Ryan Jennings (4-3, 4.40 ERA).
The Roadrunners struck first in the top of the second inning, plating a run on two hits. Lamb led off with a double, one-hopped to the wall in left-centerfield. After he was erased on a fielder's choice from Leyton Barry, Barry stole second with two outs. Shull then smacked a two-strike single up the middle, scoring Barry for a 1-0 lead.
UTSA added on in the top of the third inning, getting a leadoff double from Tapia into the left-centerfield gap. He scored after Rock drilled a single into leftfield.
Bailey led off the fourth with a single into centerfield and Barry followed, squaring to bunt before pulling back and cranking a two-run homer out to rightfield, his fourth of the year, to give UTSA a 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Louisiana Tech cut into the lead, getting walks from Taylor Young and Parker Bates with one out. Young scored on Manny Garcia's RBI single into rightfield, the first hit allowed on the night from Jones. After a strikeout, Cole McConnell singled into centerfield to score Bates and cut the lead to 4-2.
The Bulldogs loaded the bases to open the sixth inning, getting an infield single from Young and walks to Hunter Wells and Bates. Garcia then scored Young with a single through the left side, keeping the bases loaded for Steele Netterville, who hit into a double play to force home Wells and even the game at 4-4. McConnell then gave LA Tech the lead with an RBI double into the right-centerfield gap.
Tapia legged out a leadoff infield single up a chopper up the middle and UTSA loaded the bases with walks from Thornquist and Rock, with Rock's walk ending the outing for Fincher. Paxton then drew a 3-1 walk with the bases loaded to force home the tying run. Lamb greeted Crigger with a ground ball double play that forced home Rock. Thornquist then motored home on a wild pitch for a two-run lead.
GAME NOTES: Junior RHP Pepper Jones made his sixth appearance and his fifth start of 2021 … Jones has appeared in 12 games in his two-year career with seven starts … UTSA is 3-2 in his starts … Sophomore LHP Jay Ward worked in his ninth game of the year … Redshirt sophomore RHP Luke Malone pitched in his 16th game of the year and the 20thof his career … Junior LHP Grant Miller worked in his 17th game of the year … Miller is 1-2 on the year … Senior RHP Hunter Mason worked in his 19th game of the year and the 64th of his career … Senior RHP Arturo Guajardoworked in his 13th game of the year … Guajardo saved his second game … Junior CF Dylan Rock has reached base safely in 21 straight games … Rock has reached base safely in 39 of 42 starts in 2021 … Rock has reached base safely in 149 of 164 career starts … Rock stole his 10th and 11th bases of the year and has 29 in his career … Junior SS Joshua Lamb has a 16-game hitting streak … Lamb has reached base safely in 40 of 43 starts in 2021 … Lamb has reached base safely in 96 of 117 career starts … Lamb doubled for the 14th time in 2021 and the 21st time in his career … Sophomore LF Leyton Barry stole his third base of the year and the seventh of his career … Barry homered for the fourth time in 2021 and the seventh time in his career … Junior 3B Jonathan Tapia has reached base safely in 33 of 39 starts in 2021 … Tapia has made starts at second (18), third (17), shortstop (one), leftfield (two) and rightfield (one) in 2021 … Tapia has reached base safely in 96 of 117 career starts … Tapia hit leadoff for the first time in 2021 … Tapia doubled for the sixth time in 2021 and the 15th time in his career … Senior 1B Griffin Paxton has reached base safely in 39 of his 42 starts in 2021 … Paxton has reached base safely in 102 of 112 career starts … Senior C Nick Thornquisthas reached base safely in 21 consecutive games … Thornquist has reached base safely in 41 of 43 starts in 2021 … Thornquist has reached base safely in 84 of 97 career starts … Thornquist doubled for the ninth time in 2021 and the 30th time in his career … UTSA played its fifth straight game against a ranked foe and its 13th game overall in 2021 … 34 percent of UTSA's 2021 schedule will be played against a ranked foe, the most games against a ranked team in program history … UTSA will have played 20 games against teams ranked in the top-30 in the NCAA RPI … UTSA leads the all-time series with Louisiana Tech, 14-11 and own a 9-7 record in Ruston ... UTSA has won three of the last four vs. ranked foes and four of its last seven.
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