April 21, 2011

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO - UTSA pounded out three home runs, and the Cardinals left 11 men on base, as the Roadrunners opened up a three-game Southland Conference baseball series with a 5-2 victory on Thursday night at Roadrunner Field.

Lamar has now lost its last four SLC contests in falling to 22-17 overall and 9-10 in conference play. UTSA won for the eighth time in its last 10 SLC games to improve to 17-22 on the year and 9-10 in league play. The two teams will meet on Friday evening at 6 in the second game of the series.

The loss also keeps LU head coach Jim Gilligan one win shy of 1,200 for his career. Gilligan is trying to become just the 24th coach in NCAA Division I baseball history to accomplish the feat.

"This is mindset right now," said Gilligan about the Cardinals' woes at the plate. "We had a good week of workouts. Guys did a lot of good work this week and the preparation was there, but it didn't translate to the ball game."

The Cardinals opened up a 2-0 lead by putting up a run in each of the first two innings. Shortstop Aaron Buchanan led off the game with a walk, moved to second on a Ted Zentek single and to third on a Wade Mathis walk. Third baseman Pablo Salinas drove a ball to center field that was deep enough to score Buchanan on the sacrifice fly.

Catcher Joey Latulippe would score LU's second run in the second inning after leading off with a double down the left field line. Jude Vidrine then singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Latulippe would come home on the next at bat as Andy Mena grounded into a double play.

UTSA center fielder Daniel Rockett led off the bottom of the second with his fourth home run of the season to cut Lamar's lead in half. The Roadrunners would add two more runs in the third off Lamar starter Albert Lott as third baseman Ryan Dalton hit a two-run home run.

Lott, who took the loss and fell to 1-1, would be chased from the game in the fourth after allowing a one-out single to R.J. Perucki and committing a two-base throwing error on his pickoff attempt. Perucki would score one batter later on a sacrifice fly by Riley Good.

Junior Jeff Abt replaced Lott and worked the final four and two third innings. Abt allowed just four hits and one earned run, Dalton's second home run of the game in the fifth, while striking out three.

"Abt came in and did a great job of holding it down," said Gilligan. "He did a really good job of holding it down and keeping us in the game."

Lamar had several scoring chances, but could not come through with the key hit when it needed it. The Cards left two runners on base five different times, including in both the eighth and ninth innings.

Zentek finished the game with three hits to raise his batting average to .312 on the year, while Latulippe added a pair of hits for the Cards.

Casey Selsor started and picked up the win for UTSA after working seven innings. Selsor struggled early, allowing three of his six walks in the first two innings, but scattered seven hits and struck out five to improve to 4-3. Cody Scott worked the final two innings, striking out five, to pick up his third save of the season.

LAMAR