Grand Prairie. Texas - Seven San Jose State pitchers allowed 20 hits and the defense committed three errors en route to a 13-3 eight-inning loss to the UTSA Roadrunners in the 2013 Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament on Thursday afternoon.
"We haven't pitched well in either game in this tournament," said head coach Dave Nakama. "Today we were just overmatched and our mistakes caught up with us."
The loss, the Spartans second in as many games in the tournament, eliminates San Jose State from playing in the conference championship game on Sunday. UTSA (33-23) improves to 2-0 in tournament play and are still alive for the championship game berth.
The 20 hits are the most allowed by San Jose State pitchers since UC Davis rapped out 23 against the Spartans (17-40) on February 20.
Kyle Hassna (4-5) was the San Jose State starter and took the loss. He went four innings giving up six runs on 10 hits and two walks. Six other pitches combined for the final four innings.
Mike Warren, RJ Perucki and Riley Good who combined to go 12-for-16 with eight RBI and six runs paced UTSA's offense.
For the Spartans, Matt Carroll and Tim Quiery each had two hits. Quiery added an RBI and Ricky Acosta knocked in the other two runs.
The Roadrunners jumped on the board in the top of the first. They scored four runs on six hits and two Spartans fielding errors.The big shot was a Perucki three-run homer and after half an inning UTSA led 4-0.
San Jose State bounced back in the bottom of the second with two runs of its own. After recording two quick outs, UTSA starter Michael Kraft loaded the bases on a pair of walks sandwiched around a Quiery single. Acosta then ripped a 2-1 pitch up the middle to plate two runs and cut the deficit to 4-2 after two.
Hassna, who struggled in the first inning, settled down until the fourth when he gave up a one-out double followed by a two-run home run, which pushed the UTSA advantage back to four, 6-2.
A lead off walk to Carroll in the Spartans fourth spelled the end of the day for Kraft after 58 pitches. Reliever Logan Onda came on and set down, in order, the next eight San Jose State batters, until Carroll's two-out double in the sixth.Two batters later Quiery singled in Carroll to make it 6-3 after six.
Onda would go on to earn the win pitching 5.0 innings and allowing just the one run on six hits. His record improves to 1-2.
Jason Kafka opened the top of the seventh for the Spartans. He faced seven hitters, six reached base and five scored en route to a six-run inning for the Roadrunners and a 12-3 lead after six and a half innings.
"Giving up those runs in the first inning makes the game so much harder," said Nakama. "We fought our way back and at 6-3 we were still in it. We were starting to get to (Onda), but that six run seventh inning was crippling."
UTSA added one run in the top of the eighth for a 13-3 lead. San Jose State put their first two batters on in the bottom of the inning, but a fielders choice and 5-4-3 double play ended the threat and by the WAC's 10-runs after seven innings mercy rule, the game.
The Spartans have Friday off and get back to action on Saturday morning against Sacramento State. First pitch is set for 9:00 a.m. PST.