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EL PASO — UTSA knocked off Iowa State, 4-0, on Saturday morning before falling to Valparaiso, 10-6, later in the night during the secon day of the UTEP Invitational.
Freshman Courtney Buchman was 5-of-7 with a pair of RBIs in the split, while fellow frosh Megan Low went 4-of-7 and plated three runs for the Roadrunners (7-10), who recorded a win over a Big 12 school for the first time since the opening weekend of the 2010 season.
UTSA scored a run in the third, one more in the next frame and two in the sixth to defeat the Cyclones (4-11) in the opening tilt of the day.
Low put the Roadrunners on the board in the third with a run-scoing single up the middle that plated senior Ashley Kappler. UTSA tacked on its run in the fourth on Buchman's RBI double to left with two out that scored junior Haylee Staton.
Senior Alaina Byars singled to score classmate Caitlyn Ivy two innings later and Staton followed with an run-scoring base hit to close out the scoring.
That was more than enough for Staton (4-1) in the circle, as she struck out 10, allowed just four hits and walked two in her fifth consecutive complete game. It marked the second time in her last three outings that she's reached doube figures in punchouts, as she had career-high 12 last weekend against North Dakota.
Tori Torrescano (4-6) allowed four runs on nine hits in her 5.1 stanzas for Iowa State.
Valparaiso (10-2) jumped on top 4-0 in the second inning of the nightcap when Jordan Rutkowski hit a solo home run to left-center with one down, and four batters later, Amanda Wisniewski hit a three-run shot down the left-field line.
The Roadrunners answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning.
Byars led off the frame with a double to right-center and moved up to third on Staton’s single. Buchman then delivered a base hit to plate Byars to make it 4-1, but UTSA couldn’t keep the inning going.
After another Valparaiso tally in the top of the third, the Roadrunners put up three of their own in the bottom half of the inning to pull within one, 5-4.
The frame started with four consecutive hits, as Kappler singled, sophomore Molly Fichtner doubled and Low stroked a two-bagger to right-center to make it 5-3. Low was called out at third base, but the Crusaders made a pitching change and Shaleigh Jansen gave up a single to Ivy before a groundout moved her to second. Ivy came around to score on a pair of two-out passed balls for the final run of the inning.
However, Valparaiso added a run in the fourth, three in the fifth and one more in the seventh for a 10-4 lead.
The Roadrunners had one final chance in the bottom of the seventh.
The inning started with Ivy’s double to left-center before being removed for pinch-runner Laura Little. A walk and infield single loaded the bases for senior Nikki Goff, who singled to send Little across the dish. Staton later scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-6, before another walk loaded the bases. However, Alex Lagesse got Fichtner to strike out to end the contest.
Sophomore Katy Akins (0-2) took the loss, Jansen improved to 2-0 with the victory and Lagesse earned her first save of the season.
UTSA will conclude tournament play on Sunday with a 2 p.m. tilt at UTEP.