HOUSTON – A quartet of home runs lifted the UTSA baseball team to an 8-7 win over the Big 12’s Houston Cougars at Schroeder Park on Tuesday afternoon.
QUICK HITS
· Senior Caleb Hill led the team with a 3-for-4 game, picking up two home runs, four RBI and three runs.
· Two more Roadrunners hit home runs, including junior Matt King and senior Alexander Olivo (first at UTSA).
· King also picked two hits, two runs, two RBI and a triple.
· Senior Drake Smith earned his first win of the season, pitching 1.2 innings of relief while striking out four batters.
· Sophomore Ruger Riojas earned his first save of the season, to go along with his 2-0 record.
· The team recorded a season-high four home runs and 24 total bases.
· UTSA improves to a 4-5 record, while Houston drops to a 6-2 record.
· This marks the Roadrunners’ second consecutive win over the Cougars, winning last year’s matchup by 12-2 in seven innings on Feb. 22.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
After a scoreless first frame in which each team boarded one runner, the Cougars scored first as a two-run home run in the bottom of the second gave them a 2-0 lead.
The Roadrunners had an answer in the very next frame as Hill hit his first home run of the game – a two-run shot to right center to knot the score at 2-2. Houston got a couple back in the bottom of the third to regain a 4-2 advantage.
The fourth frame went fairly quick as both teams were sat down in order, while Ryan Ward struck out two batters. In the top of the fifth, the Roadrunners went down in order again. The Cougars plated three more runs in the bottom of the fifth to break open their lead (7-2).
UTSA continued to fight back in the sixth inning, opening the frame with three consecutive home runs. Hill opened up the inning with his second jack of the game on the second pitch he saw. Next, King battled through a full count to send one past left field for a back-to-back moment. Olivo then swung for the fences on his second pitch, launching it to left center to cut the Roadrunners’ deficit to 7-5.
Smith delivered in the other half of the inning, striking out the Cougars’ batters in order. Smith battled through adversity for all three strikeouts as he won two separate 3-2 pitch counts and won a seven-pitch at-bat that saw five pitches fouled off.
In the seventh inning, the Roadrunners kept the momentum going. Despite two outs to start the frame, UTSA’s plan for a comeback did not falter. Aiden Baumann hit a double on the first pitch he saw to set himself in scoring position. Then, Hill hit a single to center field to bring home Baumann. King followed that with a triple to drive in Hill and tie the game up at 7-7. After a pitching change by Houston, Olivo earned a walk on a 3-2 count in which the last pitch was a wild pitch to bring home King and give UTSA an 8-7 advantage.
Riojas took over on the mound in the bottom of the seventh, closing out the rest of the matchup. Although he allowed a walk and a single, he halted the Cougars for a scoreless frame.
With the wind blowing out the whole game, Riojas was able to force three flyouts for a 1-2-3 eighth inning. The sophomore continued to battle through Houston’s lineup in the ninth, recording a foul out, strikeout and flyout. UTSA earned an 8-7 win over Houston on Tuesday afternoon.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners return home to host Grand Canyon this Friday-Sunday, March 1-3. The series will open on Friday at 6 p.m., before playing at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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