Tag Archives: Sammy Diaz

UTSA and Southern Miss aren’t done yet

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Sammy Diaz hit one of UTSA's four home runs. UTSA baseball beat Southern 15-4 on Friday, March 4, 2022, at Roadrunner Field. - photo by Joe Alexander

Sammy Diaz had three hits and two RBI in a regular-season victory over Southern Miss on May 13. – file photo

UTSA and Southern Miss have gone at it four times this year on the baseball field.

They’ll play at least one more before they’re done.

Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. matchup in the Conference USA tournament will be their fifth – and their second day in a row.

A UTSA victory would send the Roadrunners on to the tournament championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Since the Roadrunners won their first two tournament games, UTSA only needs one win Saturday to advance.

Because the Golden Eagles already have a loss in the double-elimination tournament, Southern Miss would need to beat UTSA two games in a row Saturday to advance.

If Southern Miss wins Saturday afternoon, the same teams play again – their sixth meeting of the season – later in the day Saturday.

UTSA beat Southern Miss 7-6 on Friday morning in the second round of the CUSA tournament. Southern Miss earned a rematch with a 5-0 victory over Florida Atlantic on Friday night.

The Roadrunners (37-19) and Golden Eagles (43-15) have split their games so far this season.

All their meetings have been in Hattiesburg, Miss. – home of the Golden Eagles as well as the site of the conference tournament.

UTSA opened the three-game regular-season series in Hattiesburg with an 8-7 victory on May 13. Ryan Flores and Sammy Diaz had three hits each and Diaz and Leyton Barry had two RBI each.

Southern Miss won 8-3 on May 14 and 9-5 on May 5.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 11: Louisiana Tech vs. Old Dominion, 9 a.m. (Old Dominion eliminated with a loss)

Game 12: UTSA vs. Southern Miss, 12:30 p.m. (Southern Miss eliminated with a loss)

Game 13: TBD, if necessary, 4 p.m.

Game 14: TBD, if necessary, 7:30

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE

Game 15: Championship, 1 p.m.

Middle Tennessee pitching cools off UTSA in 2-1 victory

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Pitchers Jaden Hamm and Trent Seibert combined to shut down one of the most explosive offenses in Conference USA on Sunday afternoon in leading the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders to a 2-1 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners.

UTSA was 26 for 79 at the plate and had scored 25 runs in winning the first two games of a C-USA series in Murfreesboro, Tenn. In response, Hamm and Seibert held the Roadrunners to 4 for 29 at bat and nearly combined for a shutout.

For the Roadrunners, their only run came in the top of the eighth when a Sammy Diaz sacrifice fly scored Jonathan Tapia from third.

With the score tied, the Blue Raiders broke through against Roadrunners’ reliever Ryan Beaird in the bottom half. Eston Snider singled and stole second and then scored the go-ahead run on a two-out single by Brian Dillingham.

The Roadrunners arrived at the ball park riding a six-game winning streak. They had won 17 of 20 games in one of their best stretches since they joined the C-USA in 2014. In seven previous games since April 19, they had scored in double figures five times.

In their last six games, they had belted 11 home runs.

Nonetheless, they couldn’t figure out Hamm, a 6-1 sophomore righthander from Columbia, Tennessee. Hamm, the starting pitcher, worked seven scoreless innings, allowed only three hits and struck out nine.

Even though the Roadrunners have won 17 of their last 21 games, the loss to the Blue Raiders dropped them in the C-USA standings back into a tie for second place. Southern Miss leads at 17-4, with UTSA and Louisiana Tech tied for second at 14-7.

Records

Middle Tennessee 22-19, 12-9
UTSA 30-14, 14-7

Coming up

Tuesday — UT-Rio Grande Valley at UTSA, 6 p.m.
Friday — Marshall at UTSA, 6 p.m.
Saturday — Marshall at UTSA, 2 p.m.
Sunday — Marshall at UTSA, 11:30 a.m.

C-USA leaders

Southern Miss 17-4
UTSA 14-7
Louisiana Tech 14-7
Florida Atlantic 13-8
Middle Tennessee 12-9
Old Dominion 11-10
Charlotte 11-10
UAB 10-11

Notable

The Roadrunners are in reach of a school record for C-USA victories in one season. UTSA joined the C-USA in 2014. Its best finish came in 2015 when it finished 17-13. UTSA won 16 in both 2014 and 2018. The Roadrunners have three, three-game series remaining — against Marshall (at home), Southern Miss (on the road) and UAB (at home).