Conor Myles pitched into the seventh inning, leading the UTSA Roadrunners past the South Florida Bulls for the second time in two days. – Photo by Joe Alexander
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
The UTSA Roadrunners built an early seven-run lead and held off the South Florida Bulls 7-3 on a rainy Saturday to clinch their 15th straight series victory in the American Conference.
The teams were scheduled to play the second game of a doubleheader and the series finale later Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
Officials elected to schedule the third game Saturday instead of trying to play Sunday because of weather concerns in San Antonio.
Rain pelted the field in the first and the fourth innings and then later in the eighth and ninth.
The weather didn’t slow the Roadrunners, who won their fifth game in a row, including their second in two days against the Bulls, and their 25th overall on the season.
UTSA scored one run in the first inning, two in the second and four in the fourth against South Florida’s Michael Senay, one of the top pitchers in the American.
Senay (6-1) suffered his first loss of the season, giving up seven runs, including six earned, in 3 and 2/3 innings.
UTSA’s Caden Miller delivered the big hit against Senay with a two-run homer in the fourth. Senay entered the game with a 1.34 earned run average.
Conor Myles (5-1) picked up the win for the Roadrunners, as the lefthander from Australia pitched into the seventh without much trouble.
In all, he worked 6 and 2/3, allowing two runs, one of them earned. Miles also yielded only two hits with no walks and one hit batter for his third straight victory.
Sam Simmons relieved Miles in the seventh. He escaped jams in the seventh and eighth and gave up a run in the ninth before escaping further trouble.
Records
South Florida 24-10, 5-6
UTSA 25-10, 8-3
Coming up
South Florida at UTSA, Saturday
(third and final game of the series)
UTSA at Baylor, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Eshelman’s day
UTSA shortstop Aidan Eshelman had two hits, including a double, with two RBIs in the first game of the day.
On the defensive side, the game was an adventure for the freshman from Houston Episcopal High School.
Eshelman made one spectacular play and helped turn an inning-ending double play in the eighth, but he also committed two errors.
Series streak
UTSA’s string of series victories in the American stretches back to the 2024 season.
UTSA won its last two conference series in 2024, won all nine en route to the league title in 2025 and now has won its first four this season.
The Roadrunners have won two out of three games this season against American foes Florida Atlantic, East Carolina and Rice. The series against FAU and Rice were on the road.
Against both East Carolina and Rice, UTSA lost the opening game and then bounced back to win the next two.
Coach is tossed
South Florida coach Mitch Hannahs was ejected in the seventh inning of the first game, apparently in disagreement with the home plate umpire on what was called as a check-swing strike three.
Bulls pinch hitter Jackson Geiger was at the plate with his team trailing 7-2 and with base runners at second and third. Geiger was called out to end the inning on a breaking pitch.
As Hannahs came out of the dugout and walked toward home plate, he was ejected by home plate ump Black Felix.