BOCA RATON, Fla. – On a sunny south Florida Saturday afternoon, UTSA Baseball visited Florida Atlantic for the second of three games over the weekend. The Roadrunners (16-7) came up just short in the back-and-forth affair, dropping a 7-6 contest and falling to 1-1 in American Conference play. FAU (14-9, 1-1) snapped a five-game losing streak in the head-to-head series, forcing a rubber match on Sunday.
FIRST INNING
Batting at the top of the order, left fielder Drew Detlefsen continued his scorching hot streak at the plate with a single up the middle. Following two retired batters, Lane Haworth drove one high to right field, securing a 2-0 lead with his side’s first home run of the weekend. When the hosts came up to bat, Conor Myles was first on the mound, earning his third consecutive Saturday start. Two walks and as many hits scored three Owls before the graduate exited the inning down by one.
SECOND INNING
FAU got back to work after striking out the side in the top half. For the second straight frame, Myles struck out two batters, but the Owls notched a pair of hits and another walk. Entering the third, the ‘Runners trailed 4-2.
FOURTH INNING
Both sides went hitless and struck out twice in the third, holding serve into the fourth. The Owls led things off with a double, later driving in their fifth run on a single to center field. No further damage was dealt as FAU took a three-run edge into the game’s midway point.
FIFTH INNING
Following another quiet top half, UTSA opted for Ryan Self in the bottom of the fifth. The freshman faced little resistance, allowing just one baserunner in a scoreless frame, setting the stage for his offense still down three.
SIXTH INNING
After an Owl pitching change, Josh Arquette walked his way to first before Caden Miller’s single put runners at the corners. Aidan Eshelman then grounded out to his counterpart at shortstop for an RBI before an error brought a second run across. With the bases cleared, Jordan Ballin notched his first double of the season. Drew Detlefsen was struck by a pitch before Jacob Silva brought both of his teammates around on a two-run double to take a 6-5 lead. The hosts answered with a double before a pair of miscues brought home the tying score. Mike DeBattista took control on the mound, exiting the frame with the help of Diego Diaz’s double play.
EIGHTH INNING
DeBattista remained solid on the bump with a 1-2-3 seventh before allowing a leadoff single. A subsequent stolen base, sacrifice bunt and passed ball brough home the game’s final run. The ‘Runner bats went quiet down the stretch as FAU pulled out a narrow 7-6 win.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- UTSA dipped to 19-8 all-time against FAU, falling to 5-9 on the road.
- Caden Miller was the lone Roadrunner with multiple base knocks on the day.
- The first baseman tallied two hits, extending his team-high hitting streak to 11 games.
- UTSA dropped to 5-5 in games when scoring fewer than 10 runs this season.
- Twelve strikeouts at the plate were tied for the second most by the ‘Runners all season.
- The visitors tallied eight hits for the second straight day.
- UTSA suffered just its fourth loss of the season when tallying at least four walks (15-4).
- After FAU notched just four hits on Friday, UTSA allowed 11 on Saturday.
- With four doubles, UTSA matched its single-game season high.
- The loss was the third this season in which the Navy & Orange posted more hits than their opponent (12-3).
UP NEXT
FAU is set to host the series finale on Sunday, with first pitch slated for Noon ET (11 a.m. CT). For the first time in 2026, a Sunday clash will determine the winner of a UTSA series. The rubber match in Boca Raton will be streamed live on EPSN+ and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.
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