Flores cranks ninth-inning, game-winning blast to topple No. 14 Southern MissFlores cranks ninth-inning, game-winning blast to topple No. 14 Southern Miss
Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics
Baseball

Flores cranks ninth-inning, game-winning blast to topple No. 14 Southern Miss

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Ryan Flores cranked a game-winning home run in the ninth inning and Simon Miller locked down the bottom of the ninth, leading UTSA to a 7-6 win at No. 14 Southern Miss, the top seed and tournament host, to advance to the semifinals of the 2022 Conference USA Championships, on Friday morning at Pete Taylor Park. 
 
UTSA (37-19) posted the thrilling win in the winner's bracket of the top seeded portion of the tournament, using the 12th homer of the year from Flores to earn a 7-6 win that saw the game tied or the lead change hands eight times over the nine innings. 
 
The teams traded two run innings to open the game in the third and after the Roadrunners took their first lead of the game with a single tally in the sixth, Southern Miss rallied with three in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-3 lead. UTSA wouldn't quit, using two runs in the next half inning to tie the game and took a 6-5 lead in the top of the eighth inning. The Golden Eagles took advantage of a misplay in the outfield to plate the game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 6-6 game into the ninth. 
 
After an out to open the ninth, Flores drilled a 1-1 offering from Southern Miss closer Landon Harper (2-2) 428 feet over the centerfield batter's eye for his 12th homer of the year. 

 
Miller (4-3) then induced a first-pitch out in the bottom of the ninth to leading hitter Dustin Dickerson and worked around a six-pitch walk to No. 3 hitter Reece Ewing with a pair of groundouts to secure the win. 
 
UTSA has now won 37 games, the third-most in program history and the most since winning a school-record 39 in 2008. 
 
The Roadrunners scored seven runs on 12 hits with three doubles and the big fly from Flores to earn the win against one of the nation's top pitching staffs, which entered the game with a 3.06 ERA and the nation's No. 7 RPI. Flores, Leyton Barry, Josh Killeen and Matt King each had two hits in the win, with Flores and Killeen each driving in two runs. Chase Keng and Garrett Poston each added hits. 
 
UTSA moved up to No. 42 in the RPI after the win and now advance to the semifinals. Southern Miss (42-14) and Florida Atlantic – the teams UTSA has opened the tournament with wins against – will play at 5 p.m. on Friday night to determine who will advance to face the Roadrunners on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+ at Taylor Park. UTSA, by virtue of the 2-0 start, will now have to be beaten twice on Saturday to be kept out the championship game, set for Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. 
 
The Roadrunners turned to senior righty Jacob Jimenez for his ninth start of the year. Jimenez, a native of Houston, worked two-plus innings, allowing a run on a walk with three strikeouts. After issuing a five-pitch walk to open the third inning, UTSA turned to Ulises Quiroga in relief. Quiroga worked 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out four. After allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score in the sixth, UTSA turned to Fischer Kingsbery for his 14th appearance of the year. 
 
Kingsbery got three outs, allowing three hits with a pair of strikeouts, and after allowing a leadoff single and getting an out in the seventh of a 5-5 game, the Roadrunners called on Miller out of the pen. Miller worked the final 2.2 innings, allowing a run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. 

Southern Miss starter Hurston Waldrep tossed 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out eight on 108 pitches. Isaiah Rhodes escaped the sixth, in relief of Waldrep before giving way to Garrett Ramsey. Ramsey worked two innings, allowing four hits and three runs, striking out three. Harper entered in a 6-6 game to start the ninth inning, allowing the decisive blow. 
 
The Roadrunners struck first in the top of the third inning, taking a 2-0 lead. King led off with a single into the gap, taking second on a wild pitch and motoring to third on a no-out single from Tapia. King then scored on a fielder's choice ball up the middle from Barry, with Tapia forced out at second. After a groundout and an intentional walk issued to Flores, Killeen smacked a single into leftfield, scoring Barry.  
 
Blake Johnson tied up the game in the bottom of the third inning, cranking his third homer of the year, a two-run shot out to leftfield. 
 
UTSA rallied to regain the lead in the top of the sixth inning, getting a one-out single from Keng to leftfield. After a deep fly out fell just short of the wall in leftfield for the second out, Poston pounded a run-scoring double into the gap to score Keng, who was running from first on a full count. 
 
Southern Miss immediately answered in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting a leadoff single from Gabe Montenegro, who took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a productive groundout and scored on Reece Ewing's double into the gap. Christopher Sargent then gave USM the lead with a single into rightfield, moving up to second on a throw to the plate. Slade Wilks then stretched the lead to 5-3 with a single dropped into shallow leftfield, plating Sargent from second. 
 
UTSA evened up the game in the seventh. Barry legged out an infield single and motored to third with one out after a deep fly ball from Sirdashney bounced over the wall in a play that was scored a two-base error. Flores then forced home Barry with a hard-hit grounder to the left side, pushing Sirdashney to third. Killeen then dropped an RBI single into right-centerfield, plating Sirdashney with a game-tying run. 
 
In the top of the eighth inning, King ripped a two-out double down the leftfield line and Tapia plated him with a double into the gap in left-centerfield. 
 
Southern Miss evened the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, getting a Danny Lynch bloop double that was misplayed in leftfield by the Roadrunners. After pinch runner Brady Faust stole third, Will McGillis hung a sacrifice fly to centerfield to tie the game. 
 
Flores gave UTSA a 7-6 lead with one out in the ninth, cranking his 12th homer of the year, sailing 428 feet to dead centerfield. 

Friday Notes
Home Runs
UTSA: Ryan Flores (12)
UAB: Blake Johnson (3)
WP – Simon Miller (4-3): 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
SV – N/A
LP – Landon Harper (2-2): 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
 
Up Next
UTSA returns to Pete Taylor Park tomorrow, May 28, to face the winner of USM/FAU. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN +. 
 
GAME NOTES: UTSA is 37-19 and is 21-11 against conference foes … UTSA head coach Pat Hallmark is 69-53 in his third year at UTSA and is 135-100 in his five-year career … In Hallmark's coaching career, he is 101-6 when leading after eight innings … UTSA is 25-6 in 2022 when scoring first and 45-21 under Hallmark … UTSA is 10-4 against ranked teams and 8-3 against top-25 foes in 2022 … Southern Miss leads the all-time series 20-9, including a 9-3 mark in games played in Hattiesburg … The Golden Eagles are 2-2 against UTSA in 2022 … Southern Miss leads the series 3-3 in games played in the C-USA Tournament … UTSA is 10-12 all-time in the C-USA Tournament and are 27-34 all-time in league tournaments … UTSA is 9-4 in one-run games in 2022 … UTSA is 15-13 in road games in 2022 … UTSA is 28-11 vs. right-handed starting pitchers in 2022 … UTSA has a program record 505 strikeouts in 2022 … UTSA has scored 448 runs in 2022, the third-most in program history … UTSA has 119 doubles in 2022, the ninth-most in program history … UTSA has 66 homers, the third-most in school history and the most since 2009 … UTSA has 413 RBI in 2022, the second-most in program history … UTSA has 253 walks in 2022, the fifth-most in program history … UTSA has 87 HBP in 2022, the second-most in school annals … R-senior RHP Jacob Jimenez worked in his 15th game of the year and made his ninth start … Jimenez has appeared in 26 games with 15 starts in his career … Senior 3B Jonathan Tapia played in his 210th career game, ranking ninth on the UTSA list … Tapia has reached base safely in 48 of 54 starts on the year and 152 of 176 starts in his career … Tapia has a four-game hitting streak … Tapia doubled for the 20th time in 2022 and the 37th time in his career … Tapia ranks tied for eighth in single-season doubles in program history … It's the most doubles in a season for a Roadrunner since Kevin Markham and Bryan Arias in 2017 … Tapia has a career-high 47 RBI in 2022 … Senior 1B Ryan Flores has reached base safely in 47 of 51 starts on the year … Flores hit his 12th homer of  the year … R-Sophomore C Josh Killeen has reached base safely in 16 straight games, a team high … Killeen has reached base safely in 24 of 27 starts on the year and in 30 of 36 career starts … Killeen has nine multi-hit games in 2022 and 12 in his career … Killeen has six multi-RBI games in 2022 and seven in his career … Sophomore RHP Ulises Quiroga worked in his 15th game of the year … Quiroga has inherited nine runners in 2022, allowing five to score … Junior 2B Leyton Barry has reached base safely in 44 of 51 starts in 2022 and in 79 of 96 career starts … Barry has 23 multi-hit games in 2022 and 47 in his career … Senior LF Ian Bailey made his team-leading 56th consecutive start … Senior RF Chase Keng has reached base safely in 48 of 53 starts on the year and 119 of 146 starts in his career … Junior DH Garrett Postonhas reached base safely in 28 of 32 starts in his career and 28 of 31 on the year …Poston doubled for the sixth time …  Freshman SS Matt King has reached base safely in 33 of his 41 starts … King has nine multi-hit games on the year … Junior RHP Fischer Kingsbery worked in his 14th game of the year and the 21st of his career … Kingsbery has inherited 12 runners in 2022 and allowed two to score … Sophomore RHP Simon Miller worked in his 18th game of the year and the 28th of his career … Miller has inherited 20 runners in 2022, allowing six to score … Miller is 4-3 on the year and 7-4 in his career. 
 
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