UTSA baseball infielder Jordan Ballin in the Roadrunners’ 3-1 win over A&M-Corpus Christi Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio, Texas.

SAN ANTONIO — UTSA baseball defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-1 on Tuesday at Roadrunner Field. 

The Roadrunners (18-7, 2-1 AC) held the Islanders (11-13, 1-7 SLC) scoreless through five innings on a bullpen day. Sophomore pitcher Holden Harris started for UTSA, but six other pitchers saw action on Tuesday, none lasting more than two innings. The Roadrunners took a 1-0 lead in the second before the Islanders tied the game in the sixth. In the eighth, UTSA scored the go-ahead run and added insurance to lock up the win.

“I thought we played well. I’m proud of the win,” coach Pat Hallmark said after the game. “Everybody wants to hit, and I’m sure some individual hitters would like better nights, but hitting is not easy. Winning and hitting is hard. We can’t hit every night. I’m not disappointed in the hitting. We played a really good game. 

“We pitched a bunch of people and they all came out ready to pitch, throwing strikes and hitting with off-speed. I thought it was a good win.”

Sophomore outfielder Christian Hallmark gave UTSA its first lead of the game in the second with an RBI single into shallow right field. 

Harris and junior pitchers Cody DeMont and Connor Kelley held the Islanders scoreless for five innings while racking up five strikeouts. A&M-Corpus Christi broke through against senior pitcher James Hubbard with a solo home run to tie the game. 

In the top of the eighth, Islanders outfielder Isaiah Afework singled before stealing second base. A&M-Corpus Christi infielder Jackson Smith singled into left field shortly after, forcing senior outfielder Drew Detlefsen to rope one home to throw out Afework. The ball had the right juice and placement to get the out, preventing the Islanders from taking the lead. 

“[It was] unbelievable — great play,” Hallmark said. “[Sophomore utility Jacob] Silva hanging on to the ball, while the kid’s sliding in there was a beautiful play. It’s kind of artistic.” 

Senior pitcher Sam Simmons, who allowed the hit to Smith on the play, felt similarly to Hallmark regarding Detlefsen’s throw. 

“I went behind home plate and I had the perfect view of the line. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is lining up perfectly,’” Simmons said. “I kind of stopped. I should’ve been further back, but I just stopped and stared, and I was just like ‘Oh yeah, this is beautiful.’”

Detlefsen’s highlight play clearly energized the dugout, as the Roadrunners came out in the bottom of the inning and retook the lead. 

After a walk from sophomore infielder Jordan Ballin, sophomore utility Caden Miller roped a double into right-center field. A throwing error on the play from Islanders infielder Cade Sanchez allowed Ballin to score the go-ahead run. 

In the next at-bat, Silva advanced Miller to third on a sacrifice bunt. Junior outfielder Lane Haworth reached first on a fielder’s choice as A&M-Corpus Christi tried to throw out Miller at home, but the slide came before the tag and Miller put UTSA up two. 

“It’s something we work on,” Miller said of his score. “On the swing, we start moving. As soon as contact is made, we take off. The jump was there. The accelerating slide was there. We work on that a lot,and it paid off tonight.” 

UTSA will host East Carolina University this weekend for its second conference series of the season. Game one is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Roadrunner Field.