SAN MARCOS, Texas – Despite a late rally that made the matchup a one-run game, the UTSA baseball team fell to Texas State, 14-13 in the Battle of I-35 on Tuesday at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas.
QUICK HITS
· Mason Lytle led the team with a 3-for-6 game with one run and a double.
· Three Roadrunners notched two hits apiece, including Caleb Hill, Matt King and Tye Odom.
· Hill’s four runs scored tied the team game high for the season (last: Alexander Olivo against Tarleton on March 6, 2024).
· Zach Longshore, Fischer Kingsbery, Conor Myles and Braden Davis combined to keep the Bobcats scoreless for the final five innings.
· UTSA falls to a 10-11 overall record, while Texas State improves to a 12-9 record.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The Roadrunners opened up scoring early in the first frame. A couple singles, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly scored four runs to give UTSA a 4-0 advantage. The Bobcats quickly changed the momentum in the bottom of the inning as nine runs scored to give Texas State a 9-4 lead.
The top of the second looked a lot like a Home Run Derby game as the Roadrunners launched three home runs – a solo shot each by Odom and Hill and a two-run shot by King – to cut UTSA’s deficit to 9-8. Cooper Hrbacek faced the minimum in the bottom of the second as he began the frame with a walk but eliminated the base runner with a popup and double play.
The Bobcats broke things open in the bottom of the third as a sacrifice fly and grand slam extended Texas State’s lead to 14-8. The Roadrunners added one run on a RBI single by King in the top of the fourth.
Longshore pitched a three up, three down inning in the bottom of the frame with a couple groundouts and a strikeout. The fifth through seventh went scoreless on both sides of the frame.
Longshore picked up a couple more strikeouts in the fifth, before Kingsbery came in the game and forced a popup for the third out. Taking over on the mound in the seventh, Myles forced a 1-2-3 frame with a groundout, strikeout and putout at first.
Down five runs in the top of the eighth, the Roadrunners began to rally back. Odom opened up the inning with a double down the third base line. A couple batters later, Hill brought him home with a double to left center. The next batter grounded out, but that helped Hill advance to third – just 90 feet away from scoring. Olivo then delivered a single to left center to drive in Hill and cut UTSA’s deficit to 14-11.
Making his first appearance since Feb. 25, Davis came in to pitch in the bottom of the eighth and forced another scoreless frame despite an error and single that put runners on the corners. He picked up two strikeouts in the inning.
Coming down to the final three outs, UTSA continued its battle towards a comeback. The first batter went down swinging, before Broc Parmer battled through a 3-2 count to earn a walk. That paid off as the next batter up – freshman Diego Diaz – slammed a two-run home run to right center to put the Roadrunners just one run shy of tying up the game (14-13).
The next two batters got on base via a hit by pitch and a walk. The final two Roadrunners at the plate were not quite able to advance the runners as UTSA’s comeback rally fell short at Texas State, 14-13.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners open up American Athletic Conference play this weekend as they host No. 10 East Carolina at Roadrunner Field on Friday through Sunday. The series opens up on Friday at 6 p.m., before the second game is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday and the series finale will be played at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
-UTSA-