SAN ANTONIO – Roadrunner Baseball returned to action on Sunday for the final chapter of a three-game set against East Carolina. UTSA (20-8) jumped ahead early before ECU tallied seven straight runs and pulled ahead by two. Down to their final out, the ‘Runners stayed alive to force extra innings, where Caden Miller walked off the Pirates to secure UTSA’s 13th consecutive American Conference series victory. Pat Hallmark’s squad picked up its 20th win on the season while holding a 4-2 league mark, dropping the visitors to 16-12-1 and 3-3 in conference play.
FIRST INNING
True freshman Ryan Self picked up the second weekend start of his career, taking to the mound first on Sunday. On 12 pitches, the first-year Roadrunner retired the side in order, holding ECU scoreless early on. A four-pitch walk to Caden Miller came before a Lane Haworth single, but a close play at the plate kept the hosts off the board into the second frame.
SECOND INNING
After just one inning from Self, junior Connor Kelley stepped in with a quiet top half on the mound, shutting down the Pirates in order. The Roadrunners led things off with three straight walks to Andrew Stucky, Christian Hallmark and Diego Diaz, signaling the end of the day for the visiting starting pitcher. With the bases loaded, Jordan Ballin pinch hit, grounding out to second while scoring Stucky for the game’s first run.
FOURTH INNING
Kelley remained exceptional on the bump, striking out another batter to close out his third straight 1-2-3 inning. In the home half, Stucky led off with a single up the middle before Diego Diaz reached with a walk. With two away, Ballin ripped one back where it came from, bringing Stucky 180 feet around the bases for his side’s second score. In the ensuing at-bat, the shortstop headed for second on a stolen base attempt, but got caught in a rundown, allowing Diaz to score for a 3-0 edge.
FIFTH INNING
Following another punchout and a one-out double, Connor Kelley’s day was done on the mound. Christopher Gutierrez retired the only batter he saw, making way for Kendall Dove to exit the inning unscathed. In the home half, Drew Detlefsen reached with a one-out knock. Two batters later, Jacob Silva lifted the first pitch he saw high towards the right-field foul pole, sneaking fair and over the wall for a two-run blast to pull ahead by five.
SEVENTH INNING
Two straight Pirates were hit to lead things off, prompting Mike DeBattista to take over pitching duties. A strikeout preluded a pair of errors and another hit batter as two hits and a walk were all ECU needed to tie things up at 5-5. Sam Simmons came in for the final two at-bats of the frame, eventually tossing a groundout to first himself to stop the bleeding.
EIGHTH INNING
A one-out single came just two pitches before a triple into the home bullpen sent the go-ahead run all the way around for the visitors. Down 6-5, UTSA mustered up little offense, taking its first deficit of the day into the ninth.
NINTH INNING
Two singles left runners at the corners with one away in the top half. The Pirates doubled their lead on a groundout, taking a 7-5 advantage before Cody Demont entered for his third appearance of the spring. The junior allowed no further damage, cueing his offense down two. When the hosts took to the plate, Diego Diaz started off with another walk before Josh Arquette singled. The ensuing two batters were retired, bringing Detlefsen back up with two away. The senior saw one ball before being intentionally walked to load the bases. Lane Haworth then came up with his squad down to its final out. The first-year Roadrunner sent a 1-0 pitch through the right side, scoring Diaz and Arquette to tie the game at 7-7 and spark a lively home crowd.
TENTH INNING
Demont sat the visitors down in order, needing just 10 pitches to do so on a trio of groundouts. When the Navy & Orange stepped back up, Christian Hallmark reached first after being struck by a pitch. A Diego Diaz sacrifice bunt came before back-to-back walks as Caden Miller grabbed his bat. With the bases loaded in a 7-7 affair, the sophomore ripped the first pitch he saw past ECU’s first baseman and into the outfield. The single plated Hallmark and secured UTSA’s first walk-off victory of 2026, clinching a 13th consecutive conference series win in thrilling fashion.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- UTSA improved to 8-5 all-time against ECU, climbing to 4-2 at home.
- The Roadrunners have won all three series against the Pirates in regular-season American Conference play, jumping to 6-3.
- For the second straight week, UTSA pulled out a series-clinching victory on Sunday.
- UTSA picked up its 11th win at Roadrunner Field this spring (11-3).
- The ‘Runners have tallied just two total home run across their last four outings, but are 3-1 during the stretch.
- UTSA last played an extra-inning game on April 27, 2025, defeating Memphis 6-5 in 11 frames at home.
- Jacob Silva hit a home run for the second straight Sunday, notching his 18th and 19th RBI of 2026.
- Connor Kelley tossed 3.1 scoreless innings on Sunday, striking out three batters and not allowing a walk or a hit until the final batter he faced.
- True freshman Christopher Gutierrez dropped his season ERA to 1.64 on Sunday.
- Diego Diaz led the way with three walks drawn on Sunday as his team finished with nine.
UP NEXT
After its series with ECU, UTSA gears up for four road games in five days next week. The ‘Runners will visit Incarnate Word on Tuesday before heading to Rice for a Thursday-Saturday series in Houston. UIW (14-14) will host the midweek afternoon affair at 2 p.m. from Sullivan Field. All the action will be streamed live on ESPN+ and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.
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