SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team earned its third consecutive 30-win season by securing a 13-3 run-rule victory in eight innings over crosstown rival UIW on Tuesday night at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio.
QUICK HITS
· Alexander Olivo led the team as he had three hits - two of them doubles – along with three RBI and a run.
· Both Mason Lytle and Caleb Hill tied the individual season game high for runs scored with four each.
· James Taussig and Diego Diaz each had two-hit games.
· Ryan Beaird (2-0) earned his second win of the season, allowing just one run and striking out one in 2.2 innings pitched.
· UTSA improved to a 30-21 overall record while UIW fell to a 24-27 overall record.
· This is the Roadrunners’ third consecutive season with 30 or more wins.
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
Starting pitcher Robert Orloski put together a 1-2-3 first inning using a groundout, foulout and flyout.
In the bottom of the first, the Roadrunners’ offense put together a big four-run inning. A hit by pitch and a pair of walks loaded the bases, before two scored on a Taussig single through the right side. Then, Diaz worked through a 1-2 count to single, driving in King from third.
After a hit by pitch to load the bases again, the Cardinals turned to their bullpen. With the new pitcher in and Joyce at the plate, a wild pitch allowed Taussig to score from third to cap the inning with a 4-0 UTSA lead.
Despite allowing a couple runners to get into scoring position, the Roadrunners’ pitching staff battled through the second inning to put another zero on the board. In the bottom of the frame, Hill singled to left field before putting himself just 90 feet from scoring as he stole second and advanced on a putout. Then, a single through the left side by King drove in Hill to extend UTSA’s advantage to 5-0.
The Cardinals scored their first run in the top of the third to cut the Roadrunners’ lead to 5-1.
UTSA tacked on a couple more runs in the bottom of the fourth. After Lytle doubled to left field, he stole third and then scored on a throwing error by UIW’s catcher. Following this, Hill earned a four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Olivo then doubled to left center to bring in Hill.
The fifth inning went scoreless as Zach Longshore forced a couple of flyouts and a groundout. The Roadrunners brought in two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, using a RBI double by Olivo and an error then scored Olivo.
UIW brought in two more runs in the top of the seventh to make the score 9-3, before UTSA responded with one run on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame.
Ryan Ward forced the Cardinals down in order in the top of the eighth, picking up one strikeout along the way. In the bottom of the inning, the Roadrunners put up three more runs on the scoreboard, using a RBI single by Olivo, sacrifice fly by King and a RBI single by Mark Henning. This secured the 13-3 run-rule victory for UTSA over UIW.
ON DECK
The Roadrunners will head to Boca Raton, Fla., to conclude the regular season with a three-game conference series against Florida Atlantic on Thursday through Saturday.
-UTSA-