By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
A game that started in warm and breezy conditions in the early innings turned into a struggle against the elements late as the sun went down, the temperature dropped and the wind kicked up into a bitter bluster.
Coach Pat Hallmark’s UTSA Roadrunners are 14-3 on the season after winning 13 games in a row. – File photo by Joe Alexander
For the UTSA Roadrunners, they took it all in stride as they broke a 31-year-old school record with their 13th straight victory. The previous record was 12 wins in a row established during the 1994 season.
“It’s nice to set records,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said after a 14-5 victory over the Texas Southern Tigers at Roadrunner Field. “We weren’t talking much about it. I didn’t even know until yesterday. (UTSA baseball information director) Kaden (Chumbley) told me about it yesterday.
“My wife asked me yesterday before I left the house. She said, ‘How many more until the record?’ I said, ‘I don’t know,’ and she didn’t believe me. I said, ‘I really don’t.’ But it’s wonderful. Yeah, setting records is a good thing.”
Drew Detlefsen scored four runs and Ty Hodge added three, while both of them matched Cade Sadler with three hits apiece for the Roadrunners. Sadler, Detlefsen, Mason Lytle and James Taussig each notched two RBI.
UTSA (14-3, including 12-0 at home) also benefited from slick defensive plays in the late innings, when weather conditions were at their worst, by freshman infielders Caden Miller and Jordan Ballin.
With three runs in and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, the Tigers were rallying. Miller, at first base for the Roadrunners, gloved a one-out Jaden Jones ground ball and threw home for the force out to prevent a run.
Reliever Connor Kelley then finished the inning with a strikeout, fanning Jaden Flores, to end the threat. The sequence allowed UTSA to maintain an 11-5 lead and not give Texas Southern any more momentum.
In the top of the seventh, Ballin delivered with an athletic play to stuff the Tigers once again.
With a runner at first base, the UTSA shortstop ranged toward the middle to glove a Jonathan Trejo ground ball, stayed on his toes to tag the bag at second and then fired to first to complete a double play.
“Two freshman that are good defenders,” Hallmark said, “and they’re good hitters, too. Happy to have them. We need that good defense all year, so hopefully we keep getting it.”
Roadrunners’ pitching held the Tigers to seven hits — all singles — and survived a few rough patches to aid the cause.
Conor Myles, Sam Simmons, Connor Kelley and Kendal Dove combined to strike out 12 while walking only four. Dove (1-0) earned the victory by pitching scoreless ball and fanning two over the last two innings.
Meanwhile, the Tigers walked 14, hit a batter and threw three wild pitches in a game that lasted three hours and 30 minutes. Texas Southern starter Kewan Braziel (1-4) took the loss after yielding five runs in two and a third innings.
UTSA will try for a series sweep against Texas Southern on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Roadrunner Field.
Records
Texas Southern 4-11
UTSA 14-3
Coming up
Texas Southern at UTSA, Sunday, 2 p.m.
Notable
The 1994 UTSA baseball team, coached by Jimmy Shankle, finished with a 39-18 record in the program’s third year of existence. The Roadrunners won the postseason title in the Southland Conference and became the first in school history to play in the NCAA baseball tournament.
UTSA has won four games against Long Island, one each against Houston Christian and Oakland, Mich., four against Youngstown State, one against 14th-ranked Texas A&M and now two against Texas Southern in its 13-game streak.
In the Roadrunners’ 12-0 streak at home, they’ve outscored opponents 138-36.
