Stephen F. Austin
UT-San Antonio
SFA Falls to UTSA, 9-5, in Series Finale
2/26/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
UTSA 9, Stephen F. Austin 5
SFA Line Score | 5 • 8 • 1
UTSA Line Score | 9 • 16 • 1
Records: UTSA | 4-3 • Stephen F. Austin | 2-6
Pitching Records: W | Tyler Giovanoni (1-0) • L | Ivan Garcia (0-1)
Up next: vs. Texas Southern (0-6) | Tuesday, Feb. 28 | 6:30 p.m. | Jaycees Field
SAN ANTONIO - After coming back to tie things at four with a two-run fifth, the Stephen F. Austin baseball team gave up five runs to UTSA over the Roadrunners’ last three sets of at-bats and fell, 9-5, in the last game of a three-game series at Roadrunner Park Sunday afternoon.
Ivan Garcia was charged with his first loss of the season on the hill after the junior gave up four runs through the sixth and seventh innings. Seven ‘Jacks finished with hits and junior third baseman Eric DeJesus went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
UTSA starter Chance Kirby sat down the first two SFA batters of the game, but the heart of the ‘Jacks lineup handed the visitors their only lead shortly thereafter. Conner Fikes beat out an infield single before Zac Michener drove him in with an RBI double. Designated hitter Stephen Stuart finished SFA’s two-run first with an RBI single that brought Michener home from second.
Charged with protecting SFA’s 2-0 lead heading to the mound in the bottom of the first, starting pitcher Patrick Ledet got out of a bases-loaded jam by dealing the first of his four strikeouts on the day for the frame’s third out.
UTSA cut SFA’s lead in half in the bottom of the second when leadoff man C.J. Pickering blasted a solo homer run to left. After a UTSA single, Ledet got out of the second with a double-play ball and his second strikeout to keep SFA’s lead at 2-1.
Following their two-run first, the ‘Jacks’ bats fell silent for the next three innings against Kirby. The only baserunner SFA had during innings two through four was DeJesus who reached via a two-out walk in the second. With Kirby keeping SFA’s offense at bay, the Roadrunners gave their starter the lead by pushing three runs across in the home half of the third.
The second out recorded by Ledet in the frame plated UTSA’s second run of the game and the home squad grabbed its first lead of the day on an RBI double by Arias followed up with an RBI single off the bat of Pickering.
Finally solving Kirby’s pitches in the top of the fifth, the ‘Jacks were able to pull themselves even with UTSA thanks to a two-run frame. DeJesus mashed a one-out double to right and after Kendrick got plunked by Kirby’s first pitch to him, Nick Ramos drove a hard-hit ball up the middle to load the bases.
Fikes notched his only RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly before Michener drew a walk to reload the bases for the ‘Jacks. The Roadrunners’ lone error - a bad throw by catcher Tony Beam - allowed Kendrick to come home from third and tie the game at four before SFA’s fifth came to an end.
Ledet’s day reached its conclusion after the senior retired the UTSA side in the fifth and relief arm Ivan Garcia sat down two of the first three batters he faced off against in the sixth before allowing the Roadrunners to take the lead for good.
Kevin Markham hammered a two-out RBI triple to center to make things 5-4 before Garcia ended the sixth with a popout. In the seventh, UTSA increased its lead to four after Arias launched a three-run homer beyond the fence in right-center before the inning’s first out was recorded.
UTSA picked up one more run in the home half of the eighth after a two-out error allowed Markham to score from second. DeJesus’ one-out RBI single in the SFA ninth scored pinch hitter Andrew Cole who led off the frame with a single.
The ‘Jacks recorded just two hits and a walk off of UTSA reliever Tyler Giovanoni once he came on for Kirby in the fifth. He went on to earn the win on the hill and was backed by six UTSA batters who finished with two or more hits. Markham went 4-for-5 with two runs while the Roadrunners’ five through seven hitters went a combined 5-for-13 with seven RBI.
Having reached the endpoint of their four-game road trip, the ‘Jacks return to Jaycees Field for a two-game midweek series with Texas Southern. Game one is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
-SFA-
