By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
Sam Simmons struck out Jesse Rusinek to end the game with the tying run at first base as the 24th-ranked UTSA Roadrunners held off the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Tuesday night, winning 9-8 in Lubbock.
Andrew Stucky hit a three-run homer measured at 416 feet off a light pole Tuesday night in Lubbock. – File photo by Joe Alexander
With the victory, the Roadrunners bounced back from Sunday’s loss at New Mexico State and improved to 14-2, which includes a 3-0 mark against Power 4 competition.
UTSA has scored wins over Ohio State, Baylor and Texas Tech, with another game against the Red Raiders, now 10-5, scheduled on Wednesday night.
In the opener of a mid-week series against the Big 12 Conference program, the Roadrunners scored single runs in the first and the second, two in the third and another in the fourth for a 5-1 lead.
They exploded for four runs in the top of the sixth to make it 9-2.
The outburst included an opposite-field homer by Caden Miller over the left field wall. Andrew Stucky punctuated the uprising with a three-run shot, pulling the ball 416 feet off a light pole in left.
In the bottom half, Texas Tech struck back. The Red Raiders rallied against Mike DeBattista and Simmons for five runs on four hits.
Rusinek drilled an RBI single for the first run, chasing DeBattista from the game.
Simmons, UTSA’s stopper, fared no better. At least, initially. Robin Villeneuve and Kyeler Thompson greeted Simmons with consecutive run-scoring singles to make it 9-5.
After Tracer Lopez grounded out to first, Connor Shouse bounced an infield single to third for the fourth run of the inning. At that point, Simmons settled down.
A Logan Hughes ground ball brought in another run to make it 9-7, before Linkin Garcia bounced out to first, ending the threat.
From there, a battle of the bullpens ensued, with Texas Tech’s Bryce Suiter throwing three innings scoreless, allowing no hits and striking out four.
Simmons also closed the game, but not without some drama. In the ninth inning, Hughes led off with a walk and advanced to third on a one-out single by Caden Ferraro.
Matt Quintanar launched a fly ball to right that was caught for the second out, but it also scored Hughes, making it a one-run game.
With UTSA’s Friday night starter Connor Kelley throwing in the bullpen, Simmons used five pitches to strike out Rusinek to end the game.
Simmons (4-1) earned the victory, while Texas Tech starter Jackson Burns (1-1) took the loss.
UTSA out-hit Texas Tech 13-12, with Lane Haworth going four for five. Haworth, the team’s leading hitter with a .508 average, doubled twice, scored a run and notched an RBI.
Records
UTSA 14-2
Texas Tech 10-5
Coming up
UTSA at Texas Tech, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
Notable
UTSA’s Sam Simmons (4-1) earned the victory after yielding three runs on four hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out four.
The loss went to Texas Tech starter Jackson Burns (1-1). Burns allowed four runs on six hits in three innings.