CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The UTSA baseball team dropped its series finale to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by 6-4 on Sunday afternoon at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi, Texas.
QUICK HITS
· Junior third baseman Matt King led the Roadrunners as he went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
· First baseman Ty Tilson also went 2-for-3 in the game.
· In his first start of the season, senior Uli Quiroga struck out five batters in 2.2 innings of action.
· Daniel Garza picked up four punchouts in 4.2 innings, while Ryan Ward recorded two strikeouts for the final two outs.
· UTSA fell to an even 8-8 record, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi improved to an even 9-9 record.
· This is the Islanders’ first series win over the Roadrunners since the 2012 season.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The Islanders got a hold of the game early as four runs on a RBI single and three-run home run in the bottom of the first gave Texas A&M-Corpus Christi a 4-0 lead. The Roadrunners responded with one run in the top of the second. With runners on the corners and two outs, Caleb Hill hit a single through the right side to cut UTSA’s deficit to 4-1.
In the bottom portion of the inning, Quiroga forced the Islanders into a 1-2-3 frame on a flyout, strikeout and groundout. After this, the scoreboard didn’t change until the seventh inning. Quiroga notched two outs but also allowed two baserunners in the third before Garza took over on the mound to get the final out with a foul out.
The bottom of the fourth was a quick three up, three down inning for Garza as a couple groundouts and a flyout kept the Islanders off the scoreboard for the third consecutive frame. In the sixth, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi placed a runner in scoring position via a single and error, but a couple groundouts allowed Garza to escape unscathed.
In the seventh frame, the Roadrunners rallied back to knot the score at 4-4. Hill reached via error to start the inning, winning a 3-2 count. Mason Lytle followed that with a single as the speedy Hill advanced to third to put runners on the corners with no outs. King then hit a single out to center field, scoring Hill from third. After this, Broc Parmer was hit by pitch to load the bases, still with no outs on the board.
Tye Odom, a native of the nearby town of Bishop, Texas, delivered a double to left center, driving in two more runs to tie it up. The Islanders then made a pitching change and their new pitcher Kendall Dove got Texas A&M-Corpus Christi out of the inning before UTSA could take the lead.
The Islanders were sat down in order by Garza in the bottom of the seventh with two strikeouts and a flyout. In the top of the eighth, the Roadrunners had a few baserunners on but they didn’t get anything out of the opportunity.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi capitalized on an error, balk and a couple singles to take a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth. Ward then came in to relieve Garza, striking out the last two batters to prevent further damage. With their final opportunity in the ninth, the Roadrunners went down quickly and in order as UTSA fell to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi by 6-4 on Sunday afternoon.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners return home for spring break week, hosting Abilene Christian on Tuesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.
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