HOUSTON – The UTSA baseball team found its way back into the win column, taking a gritty 11-inning 4-3 victory over Rice in the series opener on Friday afternoon at Reckling Park.
QUICK HITS
- Simon Miller improved to a nation-leading 6-0 record, fanning seven batters in 4.2 innings pitched.
- Daniel Shafer entered the game in the 11th inning, shutting down the final two Owls and earning his fourth save.
- Antonio Valdez and Sammy Diaz each notched a team-high two hits.
- Tye Odom drove in the winning run with a single to drive in Taussig in the 11th inning.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The Roadrunners wasted no time showing off their power in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Shane Sirdashney reached base on a hit by pitch. After the first out, Valdez came up to the plate and blasted the first ball he saw past left center to give UTSA a 2-0 lead.
The bottom of the frame had a bit of déjà vu. The first batter was out, but a double put the second batter on. With one out and a batter on, the Owls' three-hole hitter Guy Garibay Jr came up and hit a two-run homerun, tying the score at 2-2.
The second through fifth innings went scoreless as both starting pitchers Parker Smith and Luke Malone combined for three hits and four runners left on base through that span.
UTSA finally broke up the tied score as Barry scored on a wild pitch to give the Roadrunners a 3-2 advantage. Miller relieve Malone in the sixth inning and kept the Owls scoreless through the next few innings.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Rice began to rally back to tie the game. Two straight singles put runners on first and second for the Owls, before another single drove in the tying run. A groundout stopped the damage, but Rice forced the game into extra innings.
The 10th inning saw the minimum number of batters on both sides of the frame. Miller forced a groundout and struck out two Owls in the bottom of the frame to take it to the 11th inning still tied up at 3-3.
The first Roadrunner up to bat in the 11th frame recorded an out, but the next three reached base – on a single, double and walk – to load the bases. A single by Odom drove in the go-ahead run as James Taussig came in to score from third.
After allowing a few baserunners and recording an out to start the bottom of the inning, Miller was pulled and in came from Shafer from the bullpen. Shafer then closed the game out with a popup and swinging strikeout, securing UTSA's 4-3 victory in a series-opening extra-inning thriller against Rice.
The Roadrunners fell to an 19-4 overall record (4-0 in Conference USA action), while Rice fell to a 11-11 overall record (3-1 in C-USA).
ON DECK
The Roadrunners and Owls continue the series on Saturday in Houston. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. (CT) at Reckling Park.
-UTSA-