RUSTON, La. – A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning scored the walk-off run for Western Kentucky, as the Hilltoppers edged UTSA, 10-9 in an elimination game in the 2021 Conference USA Championships, on Thursday night at J.C. Love Field on the campus of Louisiana Tech.
UTSA (22-26) rallied from down five runs in the early innings to take a 9-8 lead into the eighth innings against the sixth-seeded Hilltoppers. A safety squeeze evened up the game in the eighth and the Hilltoppers plated the winning run via two walks, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to emerge from the elimination game and advance to Friday.
The Roadrunners season ends with a 22-25 record. UTSA played nine total extra-inning games, its most since 2009, playing a total of 19 of its 48 games as one or two-run affairs.
The game with WKU snapped UTSA's school-record streak of nine straight games against a top-20 foe, as the Roadrunners played the toughest schedule in program history, with 35-percent of its schedule coming against a top-20 opponent.
Last night, UTSA faced host No. 18 Louisiana Tech in a 12-inning affair that lasted just short of five hours, the longest game played in C-USA Championships history. The thriller marked the fourth straight walk-off loss for UTSA to finish the year.
UTSA entered the game with WKU sporting a No. 75 NCAA RPI, which would mark the highest final-season RPI for the Roadrunners since finishing with a No. 69 RPI in 2008. Only twice in the previous 25 years has UTSA finished with an RPI under 80 (No. 69 in 2009; No. 66 in 2007).
UTSA's offensive attacked plated nine runs on 14 hits, drawing three walks and getting hit by a pitch. The Roadrunners, the nation's No. 11 scoring team, was led by a four-RBI game from Leyton Barry, who went 2-for-5 with a double.
Sean Arnold had the best game of his career, going 3-for-4 with a double and a walk. UTSA also got two-hit games from Griffin Paxton, Dylan Rock and Chase Keng. Nick Thornquist added a two-run double. Junior shortstop Joshua Lamb had his 20-game hitting streak snapped with a 0-for-5 game.
The Roadrunners started redshirt sophomore righty Luke Malone, who worked 3.2 innings, allowing six hits and five runs, walking four and striking out five. Junior right-hander Jacob Jimenez entered in the fourth and worked two innings, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk, striking out one. Fischer Kingsbery worked in the sixth inning, allowing a walk and Jay Ward escaped the jam with the final out of the frame.
After taking a one-run lead in the seventh, freshman Shane Anderson was called on in relief. Anderson tossed two complete innings, allowing a run on a hit and three walks. Freshman Daniel Garza (1-2) opened the ninth inning, getting the game to the 10th inning before loading the bases with the pair of walks and hit batter.
WKU (27-28) starter Sean Bergeron worked five innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with a walk and strikeout. Typically a starting pitcher, Jake Kates was the first man in relief, allowing five runs in 1.2 innings, walking two and striking out three. Mason Vinyard (6-3) entered in the seventh with Kates in a monster jam, allowing three inherited runners to score on Kates line. Vinyard worked a stellar 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and no runs, striking out five for the win.
The Toppers took an early lead with a three-run homer in first inning from Jackson Gray, his eighth of the year.
Matt Phipps led off the bottom of the second with his third homer of the year.
The Roadrunners got on the board in the top of the third inning, starting with a one-out double from Arnold, pulled inside the bag down the third-base line. Sirdashney followed with a run-scoring single up the middle, allowing Arnold to motor home to cut the lead to 5-1.
UTSA rallied in the top of the fifth inning, getting a one-out single from Arnold and the third double of the year from Sirdashney. Paxton then scored the pair with a two-run double into the gap.
Davis Sims stretched the WKU lead to 7-3 with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring Gray and Kevin Lambert, who each opened the inning with singles.
Keng led off the sixth inning with a triple into the gap, scoring after an RBI groundout from Leyton Barry.
The Hilltoppers added on in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs after a single and a pair of walks. Kevin Lambert then forced home Matthew Meyer with a grounder up the middle, with UTSA's flip to try to get the force out at second coming too late, allowing WKU to build an 8-4 lead.
UTSA plated five in the top of the seventh inning to take its first lead of the game. The inning started with a leadoff walk from Arnold and a two-out knock from Rock. Thornquist then scored the pair with a double down the leftfield line, cutting the lead to 8-6. After a walk to Keng and a hit by pitch from Tapia, Barry went down to get a low fastball and line it inside the line down the leftfield line, scoring three for a 9-8 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Gray reached on an infield single as UTSA couldn't cover the first-base bag on a groundout to the right side in time to retire the WKU centerfield to open the inning. A four-pitch walk pushed Gray into scoring position with the pair moving up on a sacrifice bunt. Ty Crittenberger then tied the game with a safety squeeze that allowed Gray to score to even the game at 9-9.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, WKU rallied to load the bases on two walks and a hit batter. Crittenberger then lofted a sac fly into shallow centerfield, allowing Justin Carlin to score from third.
GAME NOTES: Redshirt sophomore RHP Luke Malone pitched in his 17th game of the year and made his eighth start … Malone has appeared in 21 games in his career with eight starts … Junior RHP Jacob Jimenez worked in his seventh game of the year and the 11th in his career … Freshman RHP Fischer Kingsbery worked in his seventh game of 2021 … Sophomore LHP Jay Ward pitched in his 13th game … Freshman RHP Shane Anderson worked in his seventh outing … Freshman RHP Daniel Garza worked in his 13th game of 2021 … Senior Sean Arnold made his first career start at 1B … Arnold doubled for the second time in 2021 … Arnold collected his first career three-hit game … Senior DH Griffin Paxton has reached base safely in 43 of his 47 starts in 2021 … Paxton has reached base safely in 106 of 118 career starts … Paxton doubled for the 16th time in 2021 and the 30th time in his career … Sophomore CF Shane Sirdashney – making consecutive starts for the first time since opening weekend – collected his first hit since March 14 at No. 15 LSU … Sirdashney doubled for the third time in 2021 and the eighth time in his career … Junior RF Dylan Rock has reached base safely in 43 of 47 starts in 2021 … Rock has reached base safely in 153 of 169 career starts … Junior LF Chase Keng tripled for the third time in 2021 and the seventh time in his career … Senior C Nick Thornquist has reached base safely in 45 of 48 starts in 2021 … Thornquist has reached base safely in 88 of 102 career starts …Thornquist threw out his 12th runner trying to steal in 2021 … Thornquist doubled for the 11th time in 2021 and the 32nd in his career … Sophomore 2B/3B Leyton Barry doubled for the eighth time in 2021 and the ninth time in his career … Junior 3B Jonathan Tapia has reached base safely in 37 of 44 starts in 2021 … Tapia has reached base safely in 100 of 122 career starts … Tapia has made starts at second (18), third (22), shortstop (one), leftfield (two) and rightfield (one) in 2021 … Tapia was hit by his 14th pitch of the year and the 37th of his career … Junior SS Joshua Lamb had his 20-game hitting streak snapped … Lamb has reached base safely in 44 of 48 starts in 2021 … Lamb has reached base safely in 100 of 122 career starts … UTSA played its eighth extra-inning game of the year, its most since playing 10 extra-inning games in 2009.
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