SAN ANTONIO – A quartet of homeruns helped power UTSA (8-1) over Southern (2-8) Friday night, as UTSA won 15-4.
Leyton Barry led the way offensively for UTSA, as the junior second baseman extended his hitting streak to 12 games while also going 4-5 at the plate. One of those at-bats was a three-run shot, one of four UTSA homers on the night. Also going yard for UTSA was Ian Bailey, who found himself at the plate with the bases juiced in the bottom of the fourth. Bailey proceeded to crush a grand slam.
Jacob Jimenez (2-0) worked five innings, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks, striking out five. With a seven-run lead to open the sixth inning, Luke Malone came on in relief and worked a shutout inning with two strikeouts. Abraham DeLeon then started the seventh inning for his NCAA debut, fanning four in two shutout innings, allowing just a single and a walk. Fischer Kingsbery worked the ninth to secure the win.
Southern starter Joseph Battaglia (0-2) tossed five innings, allowing 11 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out two. Nick Luckett worked in relief, tossing the final three innings, allowing four runs in the eighth on three hits.
The Roadrunners struck first in the bottom of the first inning, getting a leadoff single from Barry, who took third on a double into the gap from Jonathan Tapia. Chase Keng hung a sacrifice fly into centerfield that was misplayed for an error, allowing Barry to score. Ryan Flores then chopped an RBI grounder to the right side, allowing Tapia to score for a 2-0 lead.
Garrett Poston led off the second inning with a triple (second on the season) off the base of the wall in centerfield, scoring after Sammy Diaz spanked a single up the middle. Matt King then pushed Diaz to second base with a base knock through the right side. Barry followed with a laser-shot homer out to left-centerfield, his first homerun of the year and the eighth of his career, giving UTSA a 6-0 lead.
Southern's Jaylen Armstrong got a run back with a leadoff shot out to left-centerfield in the top of the third inning, his first of the year.
Taj Porter led off the top of the fourth inning with a walk, taking third on a double lined inside the third-base bag by Tremaine Spears. Michael Latulas scored Porter with a sac fly to leftfield., making the score 6-2.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, King drew a five-pitch walk, Barry singled into shallow centerfield and Tapia loaded the bases with a single through the left side to load the bases. Bailey followed an out with a no-doubt, first-pitch blast out to leftfield, his second of the year, the eighth of his two-year UTSA career and the 14th of his NCAA career as the UTSA lead expanded to 10-2.
Southern answered in the top of the fifth, getting a one-out single from JJ Rollon. After a pair of outs, O'Neill Burgos belted his second homer of the year out to leftfield, cutting the lead to 10-4.
Diaz cranked his first homer of the year in the fifth inning, a shot belted out to leftfield for an 11-4 lead.
King led off the eighth getting hit by a pitch and Barry pushed him to third with a double off the top of the wall in leftfield. Austin Ochoa then scored the pair with a hustle double into leftfield. Keng then pushed the lead to 15-4 with a towering homer out to leftfield, a two-run shot that hit high off the netting beyond the fence. It was Keng's second homer of the year and the 12th of his career.
Friday's Information
Home Runs
UTSA: Leyton Barry (1), Ian Bailey (2), Sammy Diaz (1) and Chase Keng (2)
Southern: Jaylen Armstrong (1) and O'Neill Burgos (2)
WP – Jacob Jimenez (2-0): 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks
LP – Joseph Battaglia (0-2): 5.0 IP, 10 hits, 11 runs, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk
Up Next
The Roadrunners will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, March 5, for the second game of the weekend series against Southern. UTSA will start sophomore righty Ulises Quiroga (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Southern sophomore southpaw Christian Davis. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed on CUSAtv.
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