The UTSA Roadrunners, who received votes in the latest NCBWA poll, entered Tuesday’s game against UTRGV on a 10-game home winning streak, averaging 10.5 runs per game over that span.
Vaqueros junior pitcher J.C. Ariza (2-1) took care of that.
Ariza tossed a season-high tying six innings of two-hit, shutout ball and the offense belted a program-record tying six home runs to send the Vaqueros (27-18) to a 12-1 victory at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio.
The Vaqueros have now won four straight games. The six home runs are tied for the second most the Vaqueros have ever hit in aroad game.
This is the first time the Roadrunners (30-15) have been held to less than three runs at home and only their fourth home loss in 22 games this season. This is the first time the Roadrunners have been held to one run at home since April 1, 2021, in a 9-1 loss to Southern Miss. The Vaqueros handed the Roadrunners their most lopsided home loss since Feb. 15, 2019, a 16-5 loss to McNeese.
Ariza set the tone early, striking out five over the first two innings. One of the hits came during the first and the other cameleading off the second. After that second hit, Ariza retired 14 straight batters.
Offensively, Brett Cain drew a career-high three walks, scoring twice.
The Vaqueros scored early and often. During the first, Freddy Rojas Jr. hit a two-out RBI single against Ryan Beaird (2-4) to make the score 1-0.
Junior Brandon Pimentel, who scored on that play, launched his 11th home run of the season during the third to make the score 2-0.
Pimentel is now tied for eighth in program history with Hall of Famer Joe Hernandez (1975) for home runs in a season. Next upare Andy Ness (1999), Rafael Barbosa (1983), and Bobby Joe Williams (1983), who all hit 12 home runs.
Bryan Sturges, who played at UTSA from 2019-20, hit his first of two home runs during the fifth, a two-run shot.
Junior Chris Mondesi followed with his second home run to make the score 5-0 during the sixth.
With two outs during the seventh, Sturges hit an RBI double and Rojas hit an RBI single to extend the Vaqueros’ lead to 7-0.
The Roadrunners pushed across their run during the eighth on a one-out double by Jonathan Tapia.
The Vaqueros responded with five runs during the ninth on a solo shot by sophomore PSJA High alum Jacob Sanchez, his fifth, a solo shot by Sturges, his seventh, and a three-run shot by freshman Edinburg Vela alum Isaac Lopez, hit second. The three RBIs are a career-high for Lopez.
Sturges posted his second multi-home run game, going 3-for-4 with a walk, four RBIs and three runs scored. Pimentel went 2-for-6 with an RBIs and two runs scored. Rojas finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.
Max Balderrama Jr. pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.
UTRGV closes out nonconference play at 6 p.m. tonight at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
