Diego Diaz Slides Into Second Base During Friday Home Loss Versus UT Arlington (March 13, 2026 - San Antonio, Texas)Diego Diaz Slides Into Second Base During Friday Home Loss Versus UT Arlington (March 13, 2026 - San Antonio, Texas)
Baseball

Walks Prove Costly in Weekend Opener

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO – On Friday, UTSA Baseball (14-4) welcomed UT Arlington (6-11) for the first game at Roadrunner Field in nearly three weeks. The hosts fell behind early, allowing 14 walks in an eventual 15-11 defeat. A ninth-inning comeback ultimately fell short despite a half-dozen runs from the Navy & Orange, handing UTSA its first loss at home in 329 days.

FIRST INNING

Connor Kelley got the nod for the third consecutive Friday, earning the start for UTSA. Two hits and an early walk got the visitors on the board first. A diving Jordan Ballin grab sparked a double play that sent one run home before a double stretched the lead to 2-0.

SECOND INNING

Two pitching changes later, Blayne Lyne took to the mound for his third appearance as a Roadrunner. Four walks, a hit batter and an error later, UTA amassed a four-run inning, taking a 6-0 advantage. The hosts then got on the board, utilizing two walks of their own before Jacob Silva’s RBI groundout brought Diego Diaz around to score.

FOURTH INNING

The hosts got back to work, adding back-to-back one-out singles from Diego Diaz and Drew Detlefsen. Two offerings later, Christian Hallmark rifled a one-strike pitch off the reaching glove of the third baseman for a two-run double. Jacob Silva followed up with an RBI groundout to score Detlefsen, later advancing Hallmark all the way home courtesy of an error. The miscue breathed life into the home side, which entered the fifth down 6-4.

FIFTH INNING

Four free bases, including three walks, came to bear with two away. The Mavericks then broke the game open with a grand slam to cap a five-run inning and pulled ahead 11-4. Mike DeBattista took over late in the frame before his offense went down on just four pitches.

SEVENTH INNING

Three more walks and just one single were enough to score a free run and set up an eventual sacrifice fly for UTA. The visitors took a commanding 13-4 edge as the hosts had just nine outs remaining to work with.

EIGHTH INNING

A quick inning of work from Holden Harris set up the ‘Runner bats, which were sparked by Andrew Stucky’s leadoff single. The catcher made his way to second on a groundout before Diego Diaz sent him home with an RBI single to pull within eight.

NINTH INNING

Two doubles and a pair of walks brought the Mavericks’ 14th and 15th runners around the basepaths in the top half before they took to the field one final time. A leadoff, walking Jacob Silva was advanced to scoring position on a fielder’s choice. The ensuing three at-bats went for run-scoring hits, including a double to the gap from Broc Parmer, who had entered to catch in the top half. Another walk with just one away then forced a second pitching change from the visitors. Drew Detlefsen sent the first pitch back awkwardly to the pitcher for an infield hit before the second retired batter of the frame. For the second time in the ninth, Silva walked, scoring his side’s 10th run of the night. Down to his final strike, Jordan Ballin ripped a single through the left side, bringing up the tying run with the bases loaded. A swinging strikeout ended all chances at a comeback, though, handing UTA its sixth win of the season.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

  • UTSA cracked double-digit runs for the 11th time in 18 games this season.
  • For the second straight outing, UTSA lost a game when drawing four or more walks, dropping to 13-2 in such contests.
  • UTSA dipped to 36-52 all-time against UTA, falling to 22-20 at home.
  • Blayne Lyne made his third appearance on the mound for UTSA, tossing a career-high 3.2 innings while striking out three batters.
  • Pitchers Holden Harris and Cody Demont each made their first appearances in the Navy & Orange, combining for the final three innings of work.
  • Drew Detlefsen was the lone Roadrunner with three hits on Friday, adding a walk drawn.
  • The loss was UTSA’s first on Friday this season, dropping to 4-1.
  • Before allowing 14 on Friday, UTSA had not allowed more than seven walks in a single game.

UP NEXT

The Mavericks and ‘Runners will clash again on Saturday for the midway point of the series at 2 p.m. from Roadrunner Field. UTSA hopes to force a rubber match on Sunday and maintain its streak of 12 straight regular-season series victories. All the action this weekend will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.

-UTSA-