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CORPUS CHRISTI — Freshman Megan Low went 5-for-7 with a double, home run and four RBIs on Friday, as UTSA defeated North Dakota, 6-4, before falling to Mississippi, 12-2 (five innings), on the opening day of the Best Western Marina Grand Islanders Classic.
Senior Ashley Kappler added a pair of RBIs and junior Haylee Staton picked up a victory in the circle with a career-high 12 strikeouts for the Roadrunners, who now are 5-8 on the season.
UTSA and North Dakota (5-6) remained scoreless through the first four innings before the Fighting Sioux broke the deadlock in the top of the fifth, when back-to-back singles with two outs set up Krystin Jantzer’s three-run homer.
However, the Roadrunners came back in the bottom half of the frame and put their first run on the board when senior Nikki Goff walked and scored on Kappler’s run-scoring double down the left-field line. Sophomore Molly Fichtner then walked and a passed ball moved her and Kappler up a base before Low unloaded a three-run blast of her own to put UTSA in front for good at 4-3.
The Roadrunners added a pair of insurance runs with the help of two Fighting Sioux errors in the sixth for a 6-3 lead.
North Dakota made it 6-4 with a leadoff homer in the seventh, but it got no closer, as Staton retired the next three batters to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Ole Miss (5-3) jumped out to an commanding 8-0 lead after two innings in the nightcap.
UTSA’s runs came in the top of the third on a Low RBI single, which plated Kappler, and a run-scoring ground out off the bat of sophomore Siera Sproul.
That was all the offense the Roadrunners mustered against Kendall Bruning, who improved to 4-2 with the run-rule victory.
Junior Alyssa Vordenbaum (2-3) took the loss after allowing four runs in just a third of an inning.
The Roadrunners will continue play at 3 p.m. on Saturday when they face the Rebels for the second time in as many days.