BOCA RATON, Fla. – Matt King and Jonathan Tapia had multi-hit games while Tapia and Sammy Diaz combined to drive in all five runs as UTSA baseball defeated Florida Atlantic in the series opener on Friday at FAU Stadium.
UTSA (13-8, 2-2 Conference USA) used two two-run innings in the third and the fourth to set the tone and take an early 4-1 lead. The Roadrunners would tack on an insurance run in the top of the eighth as well.
King was 2-for-4 and scored a run on the day while Tapia went 2-for-5 with two-RBI which came on his second home run of the season. Diaz had an RBI sacrifice fly as well as a two RBI double to account for the Roadrunners' other three runs on the day.
UTSA started redshirt-junior righty Luke Malone for his fifth start of the year. Malone worked six and two-thirds innings and allowed six hits on 81 pitches. Malone exited in the bottom of the seventh as lefty Grant Miller entered needing one out. Miller earned the only out he needed and was then replaced by Daniel Shafer in the eighth. Shafer pitched the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out three to earn his second save on the season.
Florida Atlantic (14-9, 1-3 C-USA) starter Hunter Cooley (3-1) worked 8.0 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs, walking three and striking out eight. Robert Wegielnik worked the ninth allowing two hits and no runs.
UTSA got the scoring started on Friday night in the top of the third inning. The inning began with a single from the DH, Isaiah Walker. Following Walker's single, and with one out, Tapia stepped up to the plate and belted his second homerun of the year and it put the Roadrunners up 2-0.
FAU would cut the lead down in half as they got one on the board in the bottom of the third inning. After getting the first two outs, Malone allowed a single and a walk to get runners on first and second. With two on, Nolan Schanuel sent a single to left to plate one making the score 2-1.
The Roadrunners would add two more as it turned to the top of the fourth. The inning began with Ryan Flores drawing a walk and was followed with Chase Keng singling to left field to runners on first and second. With those two on, Diaz cranked a two-RBI double to right-center to make the game 4-1.
The Owls again cut the lead in half in the sixth inning as Nolan Schanuel smashed his seventh homerun of the year, a solo shot, making the game 4-2.
UTSA tacked on their fifth and final run in the eighth as Flores and Keng singles to get runners on the corners. With two on, Diaz stepped back up to the plate and delivered a sacrifice fly to score Flores and make it a 5-4 UTSA lead.
Florida Atlantic threatened a comeback in the bottom of the ninth as Dylan Goldstein had a two-run homerun, but the Owl rally stopped there and UTSA held on to win 5-4.
Friday Notes
Home Runs
UTSA: Jonathan Tapia (2)
FAU: Nolan Schanuel (7), Dylan Goldstein (5)
WP – Luke Malone (3-0): 6.2 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
SV – Daniel Shafer (2): 2.0 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
LP – Hunter Cooley (3-1): 8.0 IP, 8 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Up Next
UTSA will be back at FAU Stadium tomorrow afternoon for the second game of the weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on CUSA.tv.
- UTSA -
