By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
Drew Detlefsen and Andrew Stucky slammed two-run homers in a four-run first inning, powering the UTSA Roadrunners to a 6-2 victory Tuesday in Stephenville against the Tarleton State Texans.
Six UTSA pitchers limited the Texans to six hits as the Roadrunners (23-10) snapped out of a 2-4 funk this season in mid-week road games.
The Texans (21-11) had scored victories over Baylor twice and against Texas and entered the game at No. 68 in the nation on the ratings percentage index.
But the Roadrunners, ranked 40th, controlled the action from the beginning.
With Tarleton lefthander Ashton Bassett on the mound, Caden Miller led off the first, slamming a double off the right field wall.
Detlefsen followed with his team-leading 12th home run of the season, yanking a ball and sending it on a line over the left field wall.
UTSA didn’t stop there, as Garrett Gruell punched a single to right, bringing Stucky to the plate.
The UTSA catcher promptly out-did Detlefsen, hitting it on a high arc over the wall and over a screen.
In the second inning, facing righthander Matthew McCullough, Miller and Detlefsen struck again.
With one out, Miller lined a ball over the center fielder’s head and off the wall. As the ball caromed off the fence, he rounded second and ultimately slid into third with a triple.
Detlefsen followed with a deep fly ball to right, a sacrifice fly, that brought Miller home for a 5-0 lead.
UTSA kept applying pressure in the third inning against Jack Lovin, who put the first two batters aboard with a hit by pitch and a walk.
Lane Haworth continued to put the heat on Lovin with a single to right that loaded the bases.
On a Cade Sadler ground ball to the infield, the Texans got an out on a force play at second base, but Sadler beat the relay to first that brought in another run.
James Hubbard, Mike DeBattista, Ryan Self, Christopher Gutierrez, Connor Kelley and Sam Simmons pitched for the Roadrunners, with Hubbard (1-1) earning his first victory.
He worked the first two innings scoreless, allowing only one hit, walking none and striking out one.
The six UTSA pitchers struck out three and walked one. Continuing a trend, the Roadrunners’ defense played error free for the fourth straight game.
Bassett (1-2) took the loss after giving up four runs on five hits in the first inning. Last Tuesday, he was the winning pitcher in Tarleton’s 5-1 victory at Baylor.
Records
UTSA 23-10
Tarleton State 21-11
Coming up
South Florida at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday, 2 p.m.
South Florida at UTSA, Sunday, 1 p.m.
Notable
UTSA’s mid-week road frustrations hit a low point last Tuesday afternoon at Incarnate Word. The Roadrunners blew a four-run lead and dropped a 13-11 decision on a three-run walk off homer in the ninth.
The Roadrunners have also lost on the road in the mid week to Texas State, Texas Tech and Houston Christian.
Detlefsen leads the Roadrunners in home runs with 12. With three runs driven in, he also boosted his team-leading RBI total to 42. Stucky has hit nine homers on the season.
Miller is on a tear over the last four games, stroking 10 hits in 18 at bats. The sophomore from Madisonville has ripped a double in each of his three games.
With his second-inning triple, he’s produced four extra-base hits in the last three.