The Roadrunners begin to celebrate after their 20th win of the season, an extra-innings battle against East Carolina. The Pirates have played in the past seven NCAA tournaments and nine of the last 10 under Coach Cliff Godwin. – Photo courtesy of UTSA athletics
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
After Caden Miller’s game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning on Sunday afternoon, the UTSA Roadrunners stormed out of the dugout at Roadrunner Field, hoping to mob him in celebration.
They did, eventually, catch up to him, and they did, naturally, jump up and down with him to celebrate both an 8-7 victory and a series win against the East Carolina Pirates.
But, not before Miller ran fairly deep into the outfield and led his teammates on a merry chase.
Pat Hallmark’s Roadrunners improved to 20-8 on the season and to 4-2 in the American. They’re tied atop the conference standings with the Wichita State Shockers and the UAB Blazers. – File photo by Joe Alexander
“Huge moment, right?” Miller said, smiling. “Walk off against the Pirates? At home. To win the series? On a Sunday? I mean, it was a hard-fought game.”
That, it was.
The Roadrunners surged into an early five-run lead, only to allow the Pirates to charge from behind and take a 7-5 advantage into the ninth.
But after that, UTSA dug in and rallied.
They produced two runs in the ninth on a Lane Haworth two-run single before tacking on the game-winner in the 10th for their 20th win of the season.
“I’m pleased,” Roadrunners coach Pat Hallmark said. “I’m pleased we won. I don’t know that we deserved to win. And I mean that with all sincerity.
“I hope no one takes that the wrong way. Players, or fans, or coaches.
“I just wish we could play cleaner baseball. Three hit by pitch, a walk and two errors in that one inning, as a coach, you just can’t feel good about it.”
In his lamentations, Hallmark was referring to the seventh inning, when his pitching and defense came unglued and East Carolina roared from behind to tie the game, 5-5.
But even after East Carolina piled on with a few more runs to take the two-run lead, UTSA players found a way to get it done.
“We’re tough,” Hallmark said. “We’ve got tough people. We are mentally tough. So is East Carolina.
“(Pirates coach) Cliff Godwin and (assistant) Jeff Palumbo, they’ve been together a long time. Cliff didn’t want to hear it after the game.
“I’m sure he’s frustrated. But, I got a lot of respect for them. Because, they’re similar to us in their competitiveness. They don’t go away.”
Hallmark said he loves playing against them for that reason.
“Because they make you better,” he said of the Pirates, a program with 34 NCAA tournament appearances in the record book. “They make you a better coach. They make you a better player.”
Caden Miller, shown here in a game from earlier this season, has helped carry the UTSA offense this year. He’s batting .386, with a .538 on base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage. – File photo by Joe Alexander
The weekend showdown between the American Conference’s two NCAA tournament programs from last season started when East Carolina won on Friday night, 3-0.
After Pirates pro prospect Ethan Norby struck out 12 in seven innings in the opener, the Roadrunners bounced back behind pitcher Conor Myles and slugger Drew Detlefsen to take a 6-1 decision on Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday, despite the seventh-inning meltdown in pitching and defense, the Roadrunners won again to claim their 13th straight regular-season series victory in the American Conference.
By taking two of three this weekend, UTSA secured a series win over East Carolina, the American’s perennial powerhouse, for a third straight season.
“I’d say in the two and a half years … actually the last four and a half years, we’ve been a pretty good program,” UTSA coach Pat Hallmark said. “We weren’t in their league prior to that.”
Miller came to the plate in the 10th with the bases loaded against Alex Bouche after reliever Joseph Webb had run out of gas, issuing three walks.
UTSA’s second-leading hitter at .386, Miller slapped the first pitch he saw through the infield.
“I just treated it like any other at bat,” Miller said. “Obviously it’s a big moment. At the same time, it’s go up there, be relaxed. Be loose and just trust my craft.”
With a run in the second inning, two in the fourth and two more in the fifth via a two-run Jacob Silva home run, the Roadrunners jumped out to a a 5-0 lead in front of a sun-splashed home crowd of 992.
The Pirates scored five in the bottom of the seventh to tie it and then tacked on single runs in the eighth and ninth for a 7-5 advantage.
In the bottom of the ninth, Lane Haworth’s two-run single tied the game.
After UTSA newcomer and redshirt junior Cody DeMont retired three straight Pirates in the top of the 10th, UTSA came to bat facing Webb.
Christian Hallmark led off with a walk and Diego Diaz laid down a bunt, sacrificing him to second. With one out, Webb lost his command and walked Josh Arquette and Jordan Ballin.
Cody DeMont pitched one and a third innings at the end to earn his first win in NCAA Division I. DeMont, shown here in an earlier game, is a redshirt junior from Cisco Junior College and San Antonio area Steele High School. – File photo by Joe Alexander.
At that point, East Carolina pulled him and replaced him with Bouche, who had thrown 26 pitches in two innings of relief on Saturday.
Bouche, a senior, was tagged with the loss and fell to 0-1. DeMont, making only his third appearance of the season, improved to 1-0 with his first victory in NCAA Division I.
He worked one and one-third innings scoreless, giving up no hits, while walking one and striking out none.
“The feeling is unreal, honestly,” said DeMont, a Steele High School graduate. “I’m at a loss for words.
“I always keep my head ready, keep my focus … just making sure that if my number is called, to (get) out there and do my job.
“I know that any opportunity could be my opportunity. Just always being able to make the most of ’em whenever I can.”
Records
East Carolina 16-12-1, 3-3
UTSA 20-8, 4-2
Coming up
UTSA at Incarnate Word, Tuesday, 2 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
UTSA at Rice, Saturday, 1 p.m.
What dreams are made of.#BirdsUp🤙 | @NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/wCIbBV1Q5u
— UTSA Baseball ⚾️ (@UTSABSB) March 30, 2026
-Video courtesy of UTSA