ECU ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – UT-San Antonio scored six runs in the first three innings and rode the coattails of starting pitcher Nolan Trabanino to an 8-3 victory in game eight of the 2014 Conference USA Championships.

The Roadrunners, who cranked out 12 hits and had at least one base runner in each of the first eight innings, got two runs in the first inning, three more in the second and another in the third.

Sophomore left-hander Nolan Trabanino (9-3) allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits in a career-best eight innings. He walked three and struck a career-high eight.

With the win, the seventh-seeded Roadrunners (34-24) will have an off day, awaiting the winner of Friday’s elimination game between sixth-seeded ECU (33-25) and third-seeded Southern Miss (33-24).

UTSA’s scoring started in the first frame with right fielder John Welborn and shortstop Horacio Correa singling off ECU right-hander Tyler Bolton (2-5). Welborn scored on an error and Correa a fielder’s choice to get the Roadrunners on the board early.

The Roadrunner’s knocked Bolton from the game after he allowed consecutive singles to left fielder Logan Kinder and second baseman C.J. Pickering to open the second. After Pickering knocked in Kinder, he scored on a triple by Welborn, who crossed home plate one out later on a single by first baseman Mike Warren for a 5-0 lead.

Pickering added an RBI double in the third inning for 6-0 lead and the Roadrunners tacked on two more in the sixth inning on Warren’s triple and an error.

ECU made it 6-1 in the third on designated hitter Drew Reynolds’ sacrifice fly, and added two more runs in the eighth on a groundout by third baseman Zach Houchins and sacrifice fly by outfielder Dylan Brown. Two of the Pirates’ three runs were unearned.

ECU second baseman Charlie Yorgen had two of ECU’s four hits.