UTSA baseball rallies past Middle Tennessee in series opener

UTSA’s Joshua Lamb smacks a hit that scores Nick Thornquist with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning.[/caption]UTSA’s bats came alive in the late innings to beat Middle Tennessee 7-6 on Friday at Roadrunner Field.

The game was the first of four in a weekend series. UTSA and Middle Tennessee meet again on Saturday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.

UTSA scored all its runs in its final three innings after Middle Tennessee took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth. The Roadrunners collected 10 hits on the day including home runs by Nick Thornquist and Chase Keng and a game-winning hit by Joshua Lamb.

UTSA’s first runs came on a two-out, two run single by Dylan Rock in the bottom of the sixth. UTSA took a 5-2 lead in the seventh when Thornquist and Keng hit back-to-back solo home runs and Ian Bailey’s sacrifice fly scored Lamb.

Middle Tennessee scored four times in the top of the eighth to take a 6-5 lead.

UTSA put together four hits to score two runs in the bottom of the eight and take the lead for good. Rock led off the inning with a hit and scored on a single by Thornquist. Keng doubled and then Lamb drove in Thornquist with the go-ahead run.

UTSA starting pitcher John Chomko dominated early, shutting out middle Tennessee through four innings. Chomko completed six innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits, five strikeouts and no walks.

UTSA reliever Luke Malone entered the game in the top of the seventh and pitched 1 1/3 innings.

Arturo Guajardo finished the game on the mound for the Roadrunners and got his first win of the season. He pitched the final two outs of the eighth inning and retired Western Kentucky in the ninth.