SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — Kyle Winkler delivered five hitless innings of relief to stabilize a wild game, and the Texas-Arlington Mavericks held off a furious ninth-inning rally by Texas-San Antonio to secure an 11-8 victory over the Roadrunners on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.

The win, played before an evening crowd, gave the Mavericks (7-11) consecutive victories in the series after a 15-11 offensive outburst on Friday. The Roadrunners (14-5), who entered with a strong season record and an 81% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, saw a four-game winning streak snapped.

The game’s most important sequence came early. After UTA starter Perry was chased in a four-run first inning by the Roadrunners, Winkler entered with one on and one out in the second. He immediately induced an inning-ending double play and proceeded to dominate. The right-hander finished with five innings pitched, allowing no hits and one earned run while striking out two. He faced just one batter over the minimum, providing critical calm after the early storm and earning the win.

Winkler’s performance was a continuation of excellent recent form, having not allowed a hit over his last three appearances spanning seven innings.

His work allowed the Mavericks’ offense to methodically build a lead. They tied the game at 4-4 in the third on an RBI single from Xavier Melendez, who finished 2-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs. They then exploded for a decisive seven-run fifth inning, capitalizing on two errors by Roadrunners third baseman Josh Arquette. The inning featured eight hits, including a two-run homer by Melendez and RBI singles from Zach Evans and Austin Phillips, who went 4-for-5.

UTA amassed 15 hits in total, while UTSA collected 12, but the Roadrunners struggled to string rallies together against Winkler and later Evans, who pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings of relief.

The Roadrunners mounted a dramatic comeback attempt in the ninth against UTA reliever Melville. Trailing 11-5, Nathan Johnson led off with a groundout, but a single and a walk set the stage for catcher Andrew Stucky. Stucky launched a three-run home run to deep left field, his first of the season, to pull UTSA within three runs. The next batter, Haworth, flied out to center field to end the game.

Stucky’s homer capped a 1-for-5, three-RBI day. Drew Detlefsen added two hits and an RBI, while Arquette and Johnson also homered for UTSA. For the Mavericks, catcher Ethan Ho went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

The teams conclude the three-game series on Sunday afternoon. UTA will look for a series sweep before hosting Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday. UTSA will aim to salvage a game before a road trip to Houston Christian on Tuesday.