SAN ANTONIO – On Sunday, UTSA Baseball wrapped up its three-game series with Charlotte at home. The Roadrunners scored first, but five visitor runs in the middle innings were too much to overcome. Between the two sides, 23 total runners were left on base across the 25-hit day. The ‘Runners dropped their first Sunday home game of the season and fell to 27-13 overall with a 10-5 mark in American Conference play.
FIRST INNING
Pat Hallmark turned to Kendall Dove first on the mound on Sunday, granting the junior his seventh start of the campaign. Aside from a pair of singles, Dove struck out the side, sending out his offense. A Caden Miller walk preluded back-to-back hits from Drew Detlefsen and Lane Haworth to load the bases. Then, Andrew Stucky was hit by a pitch, sending Miller home for the game’s first run. A pitching change got the visitors out of the jam, holding the margin at 1-0.
THIRD INNING
Four straight hits to lead off the inning brought in the game-tying run, but no further damage came to pass. Diego Diaz helped escape the jam with a well-handled double play, darting one over to Miller at first for the final out. The ‘Runners managed a walk in the home half, but went down quietly to hold a 1-1 deadlock through the game’s first third.
FIFTH INNING
Three walks, a double and a single for the 49ers highlighted a three-run inning that saw three different Roadrunners on the mound. Eventually, Christopher Gutierrez forced a flyout to end the frame down 4-1. Meanwhile, the hosts continued a stretch of four straight batters without a baserunner.
SIXTH INNING
Once again, a two-hit inning was aided by free passes, with two walks helping score a pair of Charlotte runs. Jake Qualia got his defense back in the dugout with two straight outs after walking one batter. Stucky and Christian Hallmark singled on consecutive no-out pitches before the catcher trotted to third on a ground ball. Then, Diego Diaz sent the first pitch he saw back up the middle for an RBI knock, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
SEVENTH INNING
A double and an error brought in Charlotte’s final score of the game while Qualia remained on the bump for an eventual 3.2-inning outing. When the hosts came back to the plate, Aidan Eshelman led things off with a base on balls. Miller followed up with a double to right, placing a pair in scoring position for Drew Detlefsen. The senior ripped a one-strike offering through the left side, securing his side’s only two-run play of the afternoon. A pair of groundouts capped the rally, but not before UTSA had sliced the margin to three at 7-4.
EIGHTH INNING
Two quick outs preceded a Jordan Ballin walk, making way for Eshelman’s second hit of the day. Four pitches later, Miller sent one into left-center for his squad’s fifth score as Ballin rounded the bases.
NINTH INNING
Trailing 7-5, UTSA had one last chance to extend or win the game. Down to his last strike, Christian Hallmark ripped a two-out single that brought the game-tying run to the plate. However, the next pitch went deep to left field for a flyout, snapping Charlotte’s 10-game losing streak with a two-run margin.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
- UTSA dipped to 21-19 all-time against Charlotte, falling to 10-7 at home.
- For the ninth consecutive contest, Jordan Ballin drew a walk, doing so in the bottom of the eighth inning.
- Caden Miller’s double and single, cemented his 19th multi-hit day of the campaign.
- Aidan Eshelman, Christian Hallmark and Drew Detlefsen joined Miller atop the team leaderboard with two hits apiece on Sunday.
- The Navy & Orange have left seven or more runners on base in 16 of their past 20 outings.
- Drew Detlefsen led the way with two of his team’s five RBIs in the loss.
- For the fifth straight weekend, UTSA missed out on a sweep while still taking the series win.
- The ‘Runners head into week six of league play still atop the American standings, tied with UAB at 10-5.
UP NEXT
Following their series against Charlotte, the ‘Runners will trek to College Station for a matchup at No. 10 Texas A&M. The Aggies (31-7) will host the Tuesday bout at 3 p.m. CT as UTSA eyes its fourth Power Four win of the season. All the action from Blue Bell Park will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and available to follow via utsa.statbroadcast.com.
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