RUSTON, La. – No. 14 Louisiana Tech erased a two-run UTSA baseball lead with a seven-run fifth inning, posting a series-clinching 17-7 win in a run-ruled seven innings over the Roadrunners in the finale on Sunday at J.C. Love Field.
UTSA (22-24, 14-17 Conference USA) saw its hard-fought 7-5 lead erased in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Bulldogs scored seven runs to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish, putting the game away in the seventh with five runs that secured the run-rule win.
The series ends with the Bulldogs winning the last three games after the Roadrunners posted a 7-5 win on Friday night. LA Tech posted a 4-1 win in the second game in the series before falling 10-7 in a walk-off extra-inning affair in the third game.
UTSA secured a berth in the C-USA Championships, May 26-20 in Ruston, with the results on Friday night securing the berth. UTSA was playing on Sunday to pass Western Kentucky for the sixth seed in the tournament, after WKU fell on Sunday, but the Hilltoppers will take the No. 6 spot in the standings and UTSA will be the No. 7 seed.
UTSA collected seven runs on 12 hits, three walks and three hit batters in the loss, with eight of nine starters collecting hits. Leyton Barry led the offense with a 3-for-4 game, while Joshua Lamb extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a1-for-3, two-RBI outing.
UTSA also got a two-hit effort from Griffin Paxton and Josh Killeen, with Jonathan Tapia, Chase Keng, Shea Gutierrez and Nick Thornquist.
The Roadrunners turned to sophomore Simon Miller for his seventh career start, with the righty working two innings, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks, striking out one.
Kobe Jaramillo (1-1) was the first man out of the bullpen, opening the third inning. Jaramillo worked two-plus innings, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks, striking out three. Lefty Grant Miller came on in relief in the fifth with two on and no outs. Miller got two outs in the inning, allowing a pair of runs on two walks and a hit. Ryan Ward took over for Miller, getting five outs, allowing four runs on two hits and four walks, striking out two. Freshman Fischer Kingsbery walked one and allowed a hit and run before giving way to Jay Ward, who surrendered the walk-off hit.
Louisiana Tech (35-13, 21-8 C-USA) starter Jarret Whorff worked just three innings, allowing six hits and four runs, walking one and striking out two. The league leader in wins worked his second straight short start after tossing just two innings at LSU on May 11.
Greg Martinez opened the fourth inning in relief of Whorff, working 1.2 innings, allowing six hits and three runs, walking one. Landon Tomkins (3-2) came on in a two-out jam in the fifth, working the finale 2.1 innings to earn his third win.
The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, getting leadoff full-count walks from Taylor Young and Hunter Wells. Run-scoring singles from Parker Bates and Cole McConnell gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Wells gave the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead with a two-out, two-run homer down the rightfield line, his ninth of the year.
UTSA mounted a rally in the third, getting a leadoff single from Thornquist into centerfield. Barry followed with a single into left and Tapia was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Chase Keng followed with a full-count walk to score Thornquist and Joshua Lamb hung a sac fly to left-centerfield to score Barry. Killeen followed with a two-run double down the leftfield line, evening the game at 4-4.
Alex Ray hung a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning to score Steele Netterville from third and give the Bulldogs a 5-4 lead.
UTSA took the lead back in the top of the fourth, as Barry singled on a high chopper with two outs, with the throw to attempt to get him at first sailing high and allowing him to move into scoring position. Tapia followed with a hard-hit RBI single through the right side, with Barry sliding in for the game-tying run. After a Keng walk, Lamb ripped a one-hop single into centerfield, allowing Tapia to score for a 6-5 lead.
In the top of the fifth inning, UTSA got leadoff singles from Gutierrez and Killeen. Paxton then chopped a single up the middle that allowed Gutierrez to score from second, with Killeen nabbed for the first out between second and third.
The Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the fifth inning, getting a single, double and walk to load the bases. Alex Ray scored Phillip Matulia with an RBI single into centerfield, cutting the lead to one. Young then scored a pair to give the Dawgs a lead with a two-run single into center. Cole McConnell forced home the ninth run of the game for the Bulldogs with a bases-loaded walk. Matulia then singled home a pair with a knock to rightfield, taking the lead to 11-7. Netterville made hit 12-7 with a single through the right side.
LA Tech added on in the seventh, plating five runs to end the game in walk-off fashion in a run-ruled seven innings.
GAME NOTES: Sophomore RHP Simon Miller made his 10th appearance and his seventh start … Freshman RHP Kobe Jaramillo pitched in his 10th game of the year … Junior LHP Grant Miller pitched in his 20th game of 2021 … Freshman RHP Ryan Ward worked in his seventh game … Freshman RHP Fischer Kingsbery pitched in his sixth game … Sophomore LHP Jay Ward pitched in his 12th game … Senior 1B Griffin Paxton has reached base safely in 42 of his 45 starts in 2021 … Paxton has reached base safely in 105 of 115 career starts … Paxton was hit by his 11th pitch of the year and the 18th of his career … Junior 2B Shea Gutierrez was hit by his sixth pitch of 2021 and the seventh of his career … Junior SS Joshua Lamb has a 19-game hitting streak … Lamb has reached base safely in 43 of 46 starts in 2021 … Lamb has reached base safely in 99 of 120 career starts … Lamb hung his eighth sac fly of the year and the 11thof his career … Senior DH Nick Thornquist has reached base safely in 43 of 46 starts in 2021 … Thornquist has reached base safely in 86 of 100 career starts … Junior 3B Jonathan Tapia has reached base safely in 35 of 42 starts in 2021 … Tapia has made starts at second (18), third (20), shortstop (one), leftfield (two) and rightfield (one) in 2021 … Tapia has reached base safely in 98 of 120 career starts … Tapia was hit by his 12th pitch of the year and the 35th of his career … Junior CF Dylan Rock had his streak snapped at 23 games straight of reaching base safely … Rock has reached base safely in 41 of 45 starts in 2021 … Rock has reached base safely in 151 of 167 career starts.
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