| Feb. 13, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 Roadrunners take Fastpitch Express College Classic title with shutouts over North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sunday UTSA 9, North Texas 0 (5) | UTSA 5, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0
Final Standings | Fastpitch Express College Classic home
SAN ANTONIO - Sophomore Ursula Mares and freshman Amanda Nikolenko hurled complete-game shutouts and the Roadrunner bats combined for 14 runs on 13 hits in defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 5-0, and North Texas, 9-0, en route to the Fastpitch Express College Classic title Sunday at Roadrunner Field.
With the two victories, UTSA improves to 4-5 on the season. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi suffered its first loss of the year after defeating North Texas, 1-0, Sunday afternoon, while North Texas dropped all three games on Sunday in falling to 0-5.
UTSA head coach Corrie Hill surpassed Chickie Mason as the school’s all-time winningest coach with her 183rd victory in the tournament finale.
In what turned out to be the championship game between the Roadrunners and the Islanders, both NCAA Tournament teams last year, Mares struck out a career-high 11 batters and scattered five hits over seven innings in improving her record to 2-2 on the season. Mares overshadowed Islander pitcher Sarah Pauly, who had 32 strikeouts in the classic entering the final game, but punched out just four UTSA batters on the afternoon.
After three scoreless innings, UTSA broke the game open in the top of the fourth, scoring four unearned runs off three Islander errors. Senior Jennifer Davis got things started with a sharp single to right field. After a flyout to center, junior Mel Torres reached on a fielding error in the infield, putting runners at first and second with one out. Davis then scored on the next play on a throwing error on an attempt to get her out at third base as the ball went out of the field of play. A wild pitch plated Torres and moved Els to third, pushing the lead to 2-0. Sophomore Stevi Simpson then reached on a successful squeeze play that scored Els. After another error put runners at first and second, senior Krystal Gibson lined a single to right that plated pinch-runner Catherine Garza with the fourth run of the frame.
The Roadrunners tacked on the final run in the top of the fifth on a solo home run to right by Torres.
Nikolenko allowed just five hits over five innings, striking out three in the 9-0 victory over North Texas, a completion of a game that actually began Saturday evening, but was called after two innings because of darkness.
UTSA had posted a 3-0 lead after two complete innings on Saturday behind a two-run home run from sophomore Aimee Murray.
The Roadrunners pushed across four runs, all with two outs, in the fourth inning to increase their lead to 7-0. Sophomore Ashley Long walked and advanced to third on a double to right center by junior Jenny Garcia. Both runners came home on a double to right center by Gibson. Junior Jessica Rogers followed with her fifth round-tripper of the season, a two-run blast down the right field line.
UTSA tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a two-run shot to left center by Els for the final 9-0 tally.
In other Sunday action, Texas-El Paso got its first win of the season in a 1-0, eight-inning victory over North Texas. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi also downed the Mean Green, 1-0, behind a solo homer from Nekkia Neash.
The Roadrunners return to action next Friday-Sunday, Feb. 18-20, when they travel to Las Cruces, N.M., to compete in the Troy Cox Classic hosted by New Mexico State.
Fastpitch Express College Classic Final Standings
Texas-San Antonio 4-0
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 3-1
Centenary 2-2
Texas-El Paso 1-3
North Texas 0-4
No all-tournament team was selected.
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