NEW ORLEANS – On Sunday, UTSA Baseball wrapped up its three-day stay at Tulane. The visitors were in search of their first American Conference sweep this season after clinching the series win a day prior. The hosts got out to a hot start, though, capitalizing on a five-run first inning en route to an eventual 12-7 win. With the defeat, the Roadrunners slipped to 29-14 on the season, falling into a three-way tie atop the league standings at 12-6.
FIRST INNING
A quintet of hits, headlined by two for extra bases, plated five early runs for the hosts. Jake Qualia came out of the bullpen with two away, exiting the inning without any further damage. After tallying multiple first-frame runs on both Friday and Saturday, UTSA faced a 5-0 deficit in the finale.
SECOND INNING
Andrew Stucky was the first Roadrunner to reach safely on Sunday, making his way to first after being hit by a pitch. Then, Christian Hallmark followed up with a free pass of his own courtesy of a five-pitch walk. A fielder’s choice advanced Stucky to third base before Jordan Ballin ripped one back up the middle. The infield single deflected off the pitcher, making way for Stucky’s 90-foot trip home. In the home half, Qualia needed just nine pitches to sit the Green Wave down in order, holding the deficit at 5-1.
FOURTH INNING
After both sides went 1-2-3 in the third, UTSA plated a pair of one-out singles in the fourth courtesy of Stucky and Hallmark. Nothing came of the opportunity, however, as Qualia returned for his third full inning of work. The true freshman sat down the side in order, retiring all 10 batters he faced in his relief appearance.
FIFTH INNING
Still facing a four-run deficit, UTSA got to work with a leadoff walk to Diego Diaz. A first-pitch Aidan Eshelman single forced a pitching change ahead of Caden Miller. The right fielder ripped the first offering he saw to shallow left field, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Then, Detlefsen fought through a long at-bat before belting a double to the gap in right-center, plating a pair of teammates. The next pitch went for a Lane Haworth single before yet another swap on the mound. Stucky then came up with a double off the top of the left-field wall, tying the game at five runs apiece.
With two away, Haworth hustled home after a swinging miss. The junior narrowly beat the tag, swiping the plate to take a 6-5 lead for his squad’s first advantage of the day. Following a walk, Diaz’s second plate appearance of the frame went for UTSA’s sixth hit of the inning, bringing his catcher home to cap an explosive top half and pull ahead 7-5.
Christopher Gutierrez came in to relieve Qualia, starting the fifth after a perfect 3.1 innings from his fellow freshman. A runner reached on a wild pitch despite striking out, making the ensuing home run a game-tying blast. The two sides headed to the sixth deadlocked at 7-7.
SIXTH/SEVENTH INNING
A hit batter preceded Tulane’s third home run of the afternoon, swinging the lead to the Green Wave the lead once again. In the following stanza, a leadoff double brought Sam Simmons onto the mound for UTSA. A hit and three free bases resulted in a trio of Tulane runs, swelling the margin to 12-7.
NINTH INNING
After Ryan Self tossed the entirety of the eighth inning, the visitors stepped up for their final chance at extending the affair. The ‘Runners went down in order, solidifying a 12-7 final score as UTSA missed out on a series sweep in the finale.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- UTSA fell to 10-7 all-time against Tulane, dropping to 8-4 on the road.
- Jordan Ballin’s streak of 11 straight games with a walk drawn came to an end on Sunday.
- The second baseman tallied 18 bases on balls over the stretch, dating back to April 4 at Rice.
- The Navy & Orange have left seven or more runners on base in 19 of their past 23 outings.
- Andrew Stucky and Caden Miller led the visitors with two hits apiece in the loss.
- Stucky was the lone Roadrunner to score two runs on Sunday.
- Drew Detlefsen paced his squad with two RBIs, boosting his team-high season total to 53.
- The ‘Runners head into next week amid a three-way tie alongside East Carolina and UAB for first place in the American Conference standings (12-6).
- After outscoring Tulane 8-0 in the first innings across Friday and Saturday, UTSA trailed 5-0 through one frame on Sunday.
- For the third straight game, the visitors posted an inning with at least five runs, notching six in the fifth.
- Cade Sadler’s 10 putouts at first base were good for an individual season high.
UP NEXT
Next week, UTSA returns to San Antonio for four games at home. Before welcoming Wichita State over the weekend, the ‘Runners will first host Incarnate Word (18-23) in an intracity matchup. First pitch against the Cardinals is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. All the action from Roadrunner Field will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.
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