SAN ANTONIO – HCU dropped a heartbreaker to #23 UTSA, falling 9-8 in a non-conference midweek matchup Tuesday night at Roadrunner Field. The hosts scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to rally past the Huskies.
The Huskies took an early lead in the top of the first inning when Trent Baker scored on a sac fly off the bat of Samuel Benjamin. Damian Ruiz scored on a Dylan LaRue's sac fly to right, and Parker Edwards finished off the three-run first frame with a single to left that plated Reed Chumley
HCU put three more on the board in the third to extend the lead. Benjamin doubled to right field scoring Ruiz, and was followed by a Chumley homer to left field that gave the Huskies a 6-0 cushion.
The Roadrunners got on the board in the bottom of the frame, getting three runs of their own. An Antonio Valdez double down the left field line scored Taylor Smith before Josh Killeen homered to left field to cut the HCU lead in half. UTSA added another run in the bottom of the fourth when Smith singled to left to push Matt King across the dish.
With their lead now 6-4, the Huskies would push two across in the sixth on a Dylan LaRue single to right that plated Benjamin. Edwards would later single home Chumley to help double up the hosts with an 8-4 count.
The Roadrunners got two runs back in the bottom of the seventh when Caleb Hill tripled to left center scoring Killeen and Smith to make the score 8-6. UTSA then rallied with two outs in the bottom of their final turn with the bats, scoring three times. Killeen doubled to right center scoring Leyton Barry, and he would later come home on a single to left from Sammy Diaz, knotting the game at eight apiece.
After loading the bases, the Runners walked things off, as Hill came home after Matt King was hit-by-pitch.
The Huskies (8-28, 5-7 SLC) were led by junior third baseman Reed Chumley who went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double, three runs, and two RBIs. Freshman right fielder Damian Ruiz went 3-for-6 with two runs while junior designated hitter Samuel Benjamin went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, and two runs. Senior first baseman Parker Edwards went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two walks.
Freshman righthander Jonathan Valdez (0-3) took the loss, pitching 2.1 innings to start the game allowing three earned runs on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Junior lefthander Tim Ewald pitched a shutout inning of relief with two strikeouts.
The Roadrunners (31-10, 14-3 CUSA) were led by Caleb Hill who went 3-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, a run and a stolen base. Josh Killeen went 2-for-4 with a home run, three runs and three RBI. Taylor Smith went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
Ryan Beaird (2-1) earned the win for UTSA with 1.1 innings of one-hit shutout relief.
HCU returns to action this weekend when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a three-game Southland series at Husky Field beginning on Friday.
