SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA baseball team secured a 6-5 victory over Wichita State to open the three-game series in American Athletic Conference play on Friday night at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio.
QUICK HITS
· Caleb Hill led the team with a 2-for-4 day at the plate with one run scored.
· Ruger Riojas (8-2) picked up his eighth win, pitching 1.2 innings of relief.
· Fischer Kingsbery closed out the game, recording his sixth save of the season – his third consecutive save in three appearances. He kept the Shockers scoreless in the final inning, recording two outs
· UTSA improved to a 27-18 overall record (13-6 in AAC play) while Wichita State fell to a 22-26 overall record (8-11 in conference action).
BREAKDOWN OF THE GAME
The series opener began as a pitchers’ duel as only two hits were allowed across the two teams through the first three innings. Starting pitcher Zach Royse dominated on the mound, sitting down the Shockers in order with two strikeouts in the first two frames.
In the top of the fourth, Wichita State scored first on an RBI single to right field. UTSA tied it up at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth as Hector Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Isaiah Walker came in to score.
Daniel Garza kept the Shockers off the board with a quick 1-2-3 frame in the top of the sixth. The Roadrunners then took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. After loading the bases using a pair of walks and a single, the game entered a 37-minute rain delay as scattered showers passed through the area.
After the delay, the game resumed with Tye Odom pinch-hitting at the plate. He watched the first pitch land in the strike zone, before hitting a clutch single in his first plate appearance since April 5. He drove in two runners with the hit to give UTSA the advantage.
Wichita State knotted the score at 3-3, bringing across two runs in the top of the seventh, but UTSA gained the lead right back in the bottom of the frame. With bases loaded and two outs, Olivo earned a five-pitch walk to bring in the first run of the frame. The Shockers then turned to their bullpen. After the pitching change, Walker reached on an error as two more runs came in to score to give the Roadrunners the 6-3 lead.
After a scoreless eighth frame, the Shockers made the game a close one with two runs in the top of the ninth. UTSA held on to secure the 6-5 win over Wichita State on Friday night.
ON DECK
Due to inclement weather in the forecast on Sunday, the UTSA baseball team and Wichita State will conclude their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m., while the second one is scheduled to start shortly after the conclusion of the first game.
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