| Feb. 10, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4907 Long ball leads UTSA to pair of wins Friday at Las Cruces Hilton Invitational UTSA 11, Portland St. 3 | UTSA 12, Colorado St. 2
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Led by three home runs apiece from senior Mel Torres and freshman Brittany Cantu, the UTSA softball team got off to a 2-0 start to the season with an 11-3 victory against Portland State and a 12-2 decision against Colorado State on Friday at the Las Cruces Hilton Invitational.
The three-time defending NCAA home run champions, UTSA hit 10 long balls on the afternoon to get off to a good start in that category. The Roadrunners now have slugged 294 round-trippers dating back to the 2003 season.
Cantu set a UTSA record in the second game with three home runs, going 3-for-3 with seven runs batted in. She led an 11-hit, 12-run barrage as the Roadrunners run-ruled the Rams (1-2). Torres hit two of her three long balls and drove in four runs in the game, while junior Aimee Murray went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
Senior Amanda Horton led the home run parade with two dingers and five RBI in a 3-for-4 performance in the opener. Cantu, Torres and freshman Rachel Rackley also homered as the Roadrunners churned out 14 hits in the Portland State victory.
Horton got the day started with a three-run home run in the first inning of game one. She capped off a 4-run second inning with a two-run shot that scored Murray, who reached on a fielding error. Torres reached on a walk and scored on Murray’s ground ball error and Rackley grounded out to the pitcher to score sophomore Kim Chavez, who reached on a an infield single, for the other two runs.
Rackley lined her first career home run down the right field line to push the lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning.
The Vikings got on the board in the fifth as Kimi Daniel singled and scored on an RBI-single to right by Jennifer Shollenberge. Portland State tacked on a run in the sixth on a solo home run by Mandy Hill.
UTSA cushioned the lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. Cantu led off with her first career homer to right field. Junior Stevi Simpson doubled and scored on a Torres round-tripper down the right field line.
Junior Ursula Mares scattered seven hits, struck out three and allowed just two earned runs in seven innings of work to pick up the win. Michelle Hext allowed eight runs - three earned – on eight hits in the loss.
Torres started the Colorado State game with a leadoff homer to left. The Rams tied in the top of the second an RBI-double to center by Kim Klabough that scored Lauren Cusick, who reached on a walk.
Cantu answered with her second long ball of the game, a two-run shot to center that plated senior Stacey Gillespie, who reached on an error.
UTSA broke the game open with a seven-run third. Murray got things going with a one-out triple to right. Horton singled home Murray for her sixth RBI of the day. Gillespie singled to left and both scored on Cantu’s second home run. Walks to freshman Leanne Risberg and Chavez forced a pitching change and Torres greeted Klabough with a three-run shot to left to make it 10-1.
Cantu drilled her third homer in the fourth inning, a two-run shot that scored Murray, who reached on a single to center.
The Rams scored one run in the top of the fifth on an RBI-single to left by Jessica Strickland, but it was not enough as the eight-run rule was in effect.
The Roadrunners play two more on Saturday, facing Utah at 12:30 p.m. Central time and New Mexico State at 8 p.m.
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