Stephen F. Austin
Texas-San Antonio
UTSA Takes Series Opener From SFA
4/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 3, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Justin Long had a pair of hits, including his third home run of the year, but five errors and a poor pitching day proved costly as UTSA took the series opener from SFA, 12-8, on Friday at Jaycees Field.
UTSA (16-12, 8-5 SLC) scored in seven of game's nine innings, seemingly taking advantage of every SFA (10-17, 3-9 SLC) miscue throughout the afternoon.
In all, SFA pitchers walked six and hit five in addition to UTSA pounding out 14 hits. The `Jacks still managed eight runs and 11 hits offensively, but Red Patterson managed to keep SFA at arm's length through eight innings in picking up his third win of the year.
Erik Gregersen only lasted three innings for SFA, taking his fourth loss of the season after allowing six runs and walking three with two strikeouts.
UTSA jumped out on top 7-0 after just three innings, with Ryan Rummel's two-run home run to right field in the third being the big blow. However, SFA rallied in its half of the fourth to finally get on the scoreboard. A pair of infield hits from Joe Staley and Bo Coffman gave the `Jacks some life with two outs before Long launched a 2-2 pitch over the center field wall to cut the lead to 7-3.
But that was as close as SFA would get until the ninth, as the Roadrunners answered back with a pair of runs in the fifth, and a run apiece in the sixth and seventh.
The `Jacks got a runs back in both the seventh and eighth innings when Bo Coffman and Sean Meyers each scored on wild pitches, and even had a chance to get right back in the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, but Patterson got Long to fly out to center field to end the threat.
Tanner Hines added a two-run single in the ninth, and Meyers followed that up with an RBI double to get SFA back within four. But that was not nearly enough as lefty Matt Crocker was able to close things out with the final two outs.
SFA and UTSA will play the second game of the series on Saturday with Erich Lehmann set to get the ball for the `Jacks. Freshman left-hander Casey Selsor is scheduled for the start for UTSA.
-SFA-
