HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Steele Netterville smacked a walk-off single to rightfield to complete a back-and-forth classic in the title game of the Conference USA Championships, leading Louisiana Tech to a 9-8 win over UTSA, on Sunday at Pete Taylor Park on the campus of Southern Miss.
UTSA (38-20) fell in its first loss of a four-game run through the Conference USA Championships as Louisiana Tech (42-19) answered UTSA's game-tying homer in the top of the ninth inning with a rally to win the tournament title in the bottom of the ninth.
Ryan Flores tied up the game at 8-8 with a leadoff homer to open the ninth inning after Louisiana Tech used a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning to erase a UTSA one-run lead.
A leadoff infield single, sacrifice bunt, intentional walk and wild pitch pushed the winning run to third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and Netterville delivered the historic hit, slicing a single inside the bag on the right side of the infield to plate pinch runner Riggs Easterling.
It was a wild, back-and-forth affair for the title on Sunday, a game that saw the lead change hands or tied seven times over the nine innings.
The Roadrunners were seeking to win their fourth all-time league tournament title, their first in C-USA and their first since 2013. It was UTSA's first conference tournament final since winning the Western Athletic Conference in 2013. UTSA roared into the championship game on Sunday with a win over Florida Atlantic in the first round and with consecutive wins over top-seeded, host and No. 14 Southern Miss on Friday and Saturday.
Louisiana Tech claimed the league tournament title with wins in the first two games, using an off day after rain wrecked the schedule in Hattiesburg, and then bouncing back after Old Dominion posted a win over the Bulldogs in the first of two semifinal games on Saturday to post a win in an elimination game on Saturday night to advance to the championship game.
Both teams faced a challenge in the contest as pitching was limited after five days of the tournament. The Roadrunners used seven pitchers in the game, while Louisiana Tech used six pitchers, including all three weekend starters and their elite closer, Kyle Crigger (6-2) who had worked in each game of the event.
The Roadrunners will now await potential NCAA Tournament selection, which will be announced on Monday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
UTSA finished the year leading the conference in wins over teams ranked in the D1baseball top-25 poll, going 6-3 in those games, three more than the next closest team. UTSA also went 11-4 against ranked foes, all while setting program single-season records for strikeouts, runs scored and RBI, boosted by the league's best offense and a top-25 hitting team in the nation.
UTSA's RPI sits at No. 38 after the tournament, with Louisiana Tech owning a No. 34 RPI and league champion Southern Miss sitting at No. 18. Old Dominion sits at No. 41 as Conference USA – the fifth-best RPI league in the nation – pines for four teams to get into the NCAA Tournament. If the Roadrunners are selected in the NCAA Tournament, it will mark the first Roadrunner team among UTSA's men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball, and volleyball teams to earn an at-large selection in the NCAA Tournament. UTSA has advanced to three NCAA Tournaments in program history, all coming by way of winning a one-bid league in the conference tournament.
UTSA scrapped out eight runs on seven hits, including a double and homers from Flores and Ian Bailey, with the blast from Bailey coming as a two-run shot in the seventh that gave UTSA a 6-5 lead. Seven of nine UTSA starters had hits, with Bailey and Garrett Poston each driving in two runs. Jonathan Tapia, Shane Sirdashney, Josh Killeen and Chase Keng each joined Bailey and Poston with knocks.
The Roadrunners started senior righty Jacob Jimenez in his 10th start of the year. It marked his second start in the C-USA Tournament, also working two innings in a starting assignment on Friday vs. No. 14 Southern Miss.
After giving up an out and allowing three baserunners, UTSA called on John Chomko in relief. Chomko worked 1.2 innings, walking two and striking out two, giving way to lefty Grant Miller to open the third, who got an out but issued a four-pitch walk. Ulises Quiroga entered with one out and a runner on in the third, working 2.2 shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk, striking out two over 42 pitches.
With a 5-3 lead in the sixth, UTSA turned to Fischer Kingsbery, who loaded the bases without an out, via a pair of walks and a single. Luke Malone then entered in the jam, with the three runs scoring. Malone (9-4) worked two innings, allowing the decisive two runs – both unearned – striking out one. Braylon Owens worked the bottom of the eighth.
Louisiana Tech (42-19) starter Jarret Whorff worked three-plus innings, allowing two hits and three walks, striking out three. Whorff loaded the bases with no outs to open the fourth inning and the Bulldogs went to the bullpen in favor of lefty Cade Gibson. Gibson worked two innings, allowing a run on one hit and a walk with Landon Tomkins working the sixth inning, allowing a pair of runs on two hits and a walk. Ryan Harland worked the seventh, allowing a run on a hit and Ryan Jennings worked a shutout eighth with LA Tech owning a one-run lead. Crigger tossed the ninth, allowing the homer to Flores to tie the game before the Bulldogs won it in the bottom of the ninth.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, getting a one-out double from Phillip Matulia and Steele Netterville followed by reaching on a catcher's interference. After a wild pitch moved runners up a base, Cole McConnell doubled into the gap to score Matulia. Jorge Corona then scored Netterville with an RBI groundout for a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs added on in the third, scoring off a bases-loaded, two-out wild pitch.
UTSA got on the board in the top of the fourth inning, loading the bases with none out to open the frame and chase Whorff. Killeen drew a walk to open and Keng pounded a double into the gap. Bailey was plunked by a two-strike pitch to load the bases and Poston greeted Gibson with a two-run double, scoring Killeen and Keng. Matt King then chopped a grounder up the middle, allowing Bailey to score the tying run. Tapia put the Roadrunners on top with a RBI groundout, good for a 4-3 game.
In the sixth inning UTSA added on to its lead. King reached on a one-out hit by pitch and after an errant pick-off attempt, motored to third with one out. After a Barry walk, Sirdashney beat out a high chopper in the infield to score King and make it 5-3.
Louisiana Tech answered in the bottom of the sixth inning, loading the bases with a pir of walks and a single. Netterville scored a pair to tie the game with a double inside the third-base bag, putting two into scoring position. After Malone got a strikeout for the first out, JD Corona hung a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Matulia for a 6-5 Bulldogs lead.
After Killeen led off with a single in the top of the seventh and was replaced by a Keng fielder's choice, Bailey drilled a no-doubt, two-run homer out to leftfield, giving UTSA a 7-6 lead. It was his team-leading 16thhomer of the year.
The Bulldogs answered again in the bottom of the seventh, starting with Walker Burchfield reaching on an error up the middle and Logan McLeod followed with a single into the gap, pushing Burchfield to third. Wade Elliott then beat out the back end of a fielder's choice to score Burchfield with the tying run. The go-ahead run came around to score after the throw to attempt to complete the inning-ending double play sailed wide, allowing Elliott to score from second and give LA Tech an 8-7 lead.
Flores evened up the game in the ninth inning, launching the first pitch of the frame from Crigger over the wall in rightfield, his 13th homer of the year.
An infield hit from McLeod opened the bottom of the ninth inning and Elliott pushed him to second with a sac bunt. After an intentional walk to Young put two on, the pair moved up on a wild pitch. Owens got a strikeout of Matulia for the second out with the winning run on third and one out. Netterville then ended the game with a walk-off single down the rightfield line.
Sunday Notes
Home Runs
UTSA: Ryan Flores (13), Ian Bailey (16)
USM: N/A
WP – Kyle Crigger (6-2): 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
SV – N/A
LP – Braylon Owens (3-2): 1.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts
GAME NOTES: UTSA is 38-20 and is 22-12 against conference foes … UTSA head coach Pat Hallmark is 70-54 in his third year at UTSA and is 136-101 in his five-year career … UTSA advanced to its first conference tournament final since 2013 … UTSA is 11-13 all-time in the C-USA Tournament and are 28-35 all-time in league tournaments … UTSA is 29-12 vs. right-handed starting pitchers in 2022 … UTSA has a program record 519 strikeouts in 2022 … UTSA has scored 467 runs in 2022, tying the program record for runs scored in a season … UTSA has 125 doubles in 2022, the fifth-most in program history … UTSA has 69 homers, the third-most in school history and the most since 2010 … UTSA has 432 RBI in 2022, a program record … UTSA has 265 walks in 2022, the fourth most in program history … UTSA had its 36th big inning (4+ runs scored) on the year, plating four in the fourth … Senior RHP Jacob Jimenez worked in his 16thgame of the year and made his 10th start … Jimenez has appeared in 27 games with 16 stats in his career … UTSA is 8-2 in games Jimenez starts … Junior RHP John Chomko worked in his 14th game of the year and the 27th of his career … Chomko has inherited 13 runners in 2022, allowing three to score … Senior 3B Jonathan Tapia played in his 212th career game, ranking alone in seventh on the UTSA list … Tapia has reached base safely in 50 of 56 starts on the year and 154 of 178 starts in his career … Tapia has a six-game hitting streak … Senior 1B Ryan Flores has reached base safely in 49 of 53 starts on the year … Flores has 13 homers on the year … R-Sophomore C Josh Killeen has reached base safely in 18 straight games, a team high … Killeen has reached base safely in 28 of 30 starts on the year and in 33 of 39 career starts … Sophomore DH Garrett Poston has reached base safely in 30 of 33 games in 2022 and in 30 of 34 in his career … Poston has seven multi-RBI games in 2022 … Poston has seven doubles on the year … Junior 2B Leyton Barry has reached base safely in 46 of 53 starts in 2022 and in 81 of 98 career starts … Barry has been hit by four pitches on the year and seven in his career … Senior LF Ian Bailey made his team-leading 58th consecutive start … Bailey has reached base safely in 50 of 58 starts in 2022 and in 76 of 86 in his career … Bailey was hit by his seventh and eighth pitches of the year and has 12 in his career … Bailey homered for the team-leading 16th time on the year and the 22nd time in his UTSA career … Bailey has 28 collegiate homers … Bailey has hit the sixth-most homers in single-season history, equaling Chris Lewis and Trent Lockwood … It is the most homers for a Roadrunner since Ryan Dalton hit 17 in 2010 … Bailey has 17 multi-RBI games in 2022 and 23 in his career … Graduate senior LHP Grant Miller worked in his team-leading 26th game of the year and the 47th of his career … Sophomore RHP Ulises Quirogaworked in his 16th game of the year … Junior RHP Fischer Kingsbery pitched in his 16th game of 2022 and the 23rd of his career … R-Junior RHP Luke Malone pitched in his 19th game of the year and the 40th of his career … Malone has inherited nine runners in relief, allowing five to score … Senior RF Chase Keng has reached base safely in 50 of 55 starts on the year and 121 of 148 starts in his career … Keng doubled for the 18th time in 2022 and the 30th time in his career … Freshman SS Matt King has reached base safely in 35 of his 43 starts … King was hit by 10th pitch of the year … Junior CF Shane Sirdashney has reached base safely in 39 of 44 starts in 2022 and in 73 of 89 in his career … Freshman RHP Braylon Owensworked in his 16th game of the year … Owens is 3-2 on the year.
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