Garrett Gruell Celebrates At Home Plate After Home Run During Tuesday Road Loss At Texas (May 5, 2026 - Austin, Texas)Garrett Gruell Celebrates At Home Plate After Home Run During Tuesday Road Loss At Texas (May 5, 2026 - Austin, Texas)
John Knope
Baseball

Upset Bid Falls Short at Texas

Box Score

AUSTIN – On Tuesday night, UTSA Baseball visited No. 4 Texas in a rematch of the 2025 Austin Regional final. The Roadrunners answered an early Longhorn onslaught, taking an 8-7 lead into the eighth inning. A grand slam swung the affair back in the hosts’ favor, solidifying a final score of 11-7 as the Navy & Orange missed out on their fourth straight win at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The loss dropped UTSA to 33-15 on the campaign with seven games remaining in the regular season.

FIRST INNING

After a quiet showing from the Roadrunners at the plate, senior James Hubbard took to the mound for his second start of 2026. A bases-loaded walk scored the game’s first run before Hubbard tallied a strikeout. Blayne Lyne then made his way out of the bullpen, allowing a sacrifice fly and one last single as Texas pulled ahead 4-0 in the opening frame.

SECOND INNING

With one away in the top half, Diego Diaz stepped into the batter’s box for the first time. The third baseman sent a 2-1 pitch deep to right field, sneaking it inside the foul pole for his side’s first run of the night. The solo blast was his fifth four-bagger this season, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Lyne then kept the hosts off the board with a quick, 11-pitch inning.

THIRD INNING

Following a leadoff groundout, Caden Miller and Drew Detlefsen each notched singles before Lane Haworth reached on an error that cut the deficit to two. Andrew Stucky then came through with a game-tying knock to right field, drawing even at 4-4 and forcing a pitching change from the Longhorns. Diaz followed up with his second hit of the night before Head Coach Pat Hallmark opted for Garrett Gruell in a pinch-hitting opportunity. The first pitch to the senior went high and deep into the left-center seats, pushing UTSA ahead 7-4 on Gruell’s first home run of 2026. In the home half, a walk and an error turned a home run into a game-tying drive, knotting up the affair at 7-7.

FIFTH INNING

A pair of hits and a walk loaded the bases for the visitors, but no damage was done on the scoreboard. When Texas came back to the plate, Mike DeBattista awaited on the mound after reliving Kendall Dove. The senior needed just 11 pitches to sit the side down in order, maintaining a seven-all deadlock into the game’s second half.

SEVENTH INNING

After both sides struck out twice in an uneventful sixth, Stucky was plunked by a two-out offering, bringing up Diaz yet again. The junior ripped a double to the right-center gap, bringing Stucky 270 feet around the basepaths and in for the go-ahead run. Sam Simmons then took over on the bump, escaping the bottom half with an electric strikeout up 8-7.

EIGHTH INNING

Simmons’ night on the mound was done after an error and a walk, cueing Connor Kelley out of the bullpen. An eventual grand slam put the hosts back in front by an 11-8 margin. Once Christian Okerholm replaced Kelley, UTSA headed up to bat one final time down by three.

NINTH INNING

A nine-pitch frame saw the visitors fail to produce a baserunner in what was their fifth 1-2-3 inning of the night. A flyout to the center fielder sealed the affair at 11-8 after 3 hours and 16 minutes in front of a crowd standing 7,437 strong.

NUMBERS OF NOTE

  • UTSA dropped to 8-27 all-time against Texas, falling to 6-21 on the road.
  • Texas snapped a three-game losing skid at the hands of the Roadrunners, picking up its first head-to-head win since Feb. 18, 2020.
  • For just the sixth time in the past 28 games, UTSA stranded fewer than seven men on base with four on Tuesday.
  • Pat Hallmark’s bunch fell to 5-5 when drawing less than four walks this season, tallying two.
  • After sweeping Wichita State without a home run across three games, the Navy & Orange posted a pair on Tuesday.
  • Garrett Gruell’s three-RBI blast in the third inning was his first home run of the season and his second in a Roadrunner uniform.
  • Mike DeBattista finished his night with 2.1 shutout innings, allowing just one walk and no hits with three punchouts.
  • Diego Diaz’s four-hit night was his first of the season and his second outing with more than two in 2026.
  • In the loss, the junior finished a triple shy of the program’s fifth-ever cycle.
  • Andrew Stucky joined Diaz as the only other Roadrunner with multiple hits, wrapping up the night 2-for-3 while also being hit by a pitch.
  • The ‘Runners are now 1-12 when trailing after eight innings this season, notching their only win on March 29 over East Carolina.
  • The loss was UTSA’s second of the year when leading after seven innings, dropping to 29-2 in such games (March 31 at Incarnate Word).

UP NEXT

Following the matchup at Texas, UTSA will head to Memphis for its final road set in American play. The Roadrunners look for their 19th consecutive conference series win while Memphis hopes to secure a spot in the postseason. All the action from FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.

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