| May 7, 2005
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 UTSA drops 3-0, extra-inning decision to Sam Houston State Box Score
HAMMOND, La. – Freshman Amanda Nikolenko pitched 10 scoreless inning and junior Jessica Els went 4-for-4, but Sam Houston State scored three runs in the top of the 11th inning to take a 3-0 decision over the UTSA softball team in the Southland Conference Tournament Saturday night at North Oak Park.
With the win, the Bearkats improve to 29-23 and advance to the championship game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. UTSA falls to 42-17 and will play McNeese State, an 8-1 winner over Texas State, in an elimination game on Sunday at 11 a.m. The winner of that game will have to defeat Sam Houston State twice for the automatic NCAA bid.
In a pitching duel between two freshmen right-handers, Nikolenko struck out eight batters and allowed just five hits through 10 innings, while Blythe, the SLC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year, scattered 10 hits and struck out three in 11 full innings.
Els led the UTSA offense with a four-hit outing, while Stephanie Mosley, Tanya Hooser and Sarah Sweaney collected two hits apiece to pace the Bearkats.
The Roadrunners put together the first scoring threat in the bottom of the fifth inning. Els singled for the second time in the game and advanced to second when junior Amanda Horton dropped a bunt for a single down the first base line. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice by junior Stacey Gillespie before Els was thrown out on a close play at home as Sam Houston State second baseman Lauren Boone fielded a ground ball off the bat of junior Jenny Garcia and fired to catcher Chrissy Dileo just in time for the tag. Senior Krystal Gibson then lined a ball into the gap in right center that was snagged by the center fielder Sweaney to end the frame.
The Bearkats put together their first serious threat in the top of the eighth as A.J. McAvoy singled and Lauren Boone walked to put runners at first and second with two down. Nikolenko worked out of the jam with a fly ball to center field.
UTSA put runners at first and third with two outs in the bottom of the frame as Garcia singled and moved to third on a two-out single to right by junior Mel Torres. Junior Jessica Rogers poked a ball into short right center that would have plated Garcia easily, but Boone again made a nice defensive play, ranging at least 30 feet into short right field to rob Rogers of the game-winner.
Sam Houston opened the decisive inning with a single by Sweaney, a sacrifice by Boone and another single by Stephanie Mosley. UTSA then walked Dileo to load the bases with one out before the go-ahead run scored on a walk to Erin Lindsey. Kara Reeves followed with a two-run single up the middle to put the Bearkats up, 3-0. Sophomore Ursula Mares came on in relief of Nikolenko and retired the next two batters to end the threat.
UTSA mounted one last rally in the bottom of the 11th as senior Jennifer Davis and Els stroked back-to-back one-out singles. Blythe induced a strikeout and a flyout to send the Bearkats to the championship game.
Blythe (14-9) picked up the win in both of Sam Houston’s games Saturday, tossing 11 innings in the 3-0 win over UTSA and seven in the 2-1 victory over Texas State.
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