| March 5, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551 UTSA pounds Southeastern Louisiana, 17-4 Box Score
SAN ANTONIO – Freshman Brittany Cantu went 4-for-4 with two home runs and five runs batted in to help lead the UTSA softball team to a 17-4 pounding of Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
Cantu led an offensive onslaught by the Roadrunners, who improved to 7-6 overall and 3-0 in the Southland Conference with their third straight run-ruling. UTSA now leads the all-time series with SLU, 20-9. The win extended the Roadrunners home winning streak to 11 games and improved their home record to 35-4 over the past two seasons. The Lions fell to 4-10 and 0-3.
Cantu, who earlier this season set a school record with three home runs in one game, hit two of three home runs, including a mammoth grand slam, on the afternoon for UTSA, increasing the team’s total to 30 in 13 games. Junior Aimee Murray had the other long ball as the Roadrunners now have hit 317 home runs over the past 177 games.
Senior Jessica Els had three hits and an RBI, while senior Mel Torres and sophomore transfer Kim Chavez had two hits apiece as UTSA pounded out 14 hits on the afternoon and finished the series sweep with 33 runs on 34 hits, including nine round-trippers.
The Lions broke through for their first runs of the weekend in the top of the first. Amber Gentry reached on an infield single and scored on a triple of the wall in right center by Amy Ford. Ford came home on an infield single by Brooke Lockhart to make it 2-0.
It didn’t take long for the Roadrunner bats to get going as they plated 11 runs on seven hits in the bottom of the second. Cantu led off with her first home run of the game. Back-to-back walks to freshman Rachel Rackley and senior Stacey Gillespie and a wild pitch and passed ball put runners at second and third with no outs. After a fly out to right, Chavez lined an infield single to the shortstop that scored Rackley. Torres lined a hard double off the fence in left center to plate Gillespie and Chavez came home on a failed pick off attempt at third base.
A single by Els and walks to Murray and senior Amanda Horton loaded the bases for Cantu’s deep blast to center that cleared the bases and gave UTSA a 9-2 lead. The Roadrunners tacked on two more runs as Rackley drew her second walk of the inning, Gillespie singled and both later scored on a single by Chavez.
The Lions got one run back in the top of the third on a two-out, solo homer to left by Brooke Lockhart.
UTSA answered with six more runs in the third to put the game out of reach. Murray started things with a two-run shot to right that plated Els, who singled. The Roadrunners added four more runs in the frame with the help of two SLU errors to push the lead to 17-3.
Katie Szmergalski launched a solo home run for the Lions in the fourth, but that is all SLU could muster for the rest of the game.
Jessica Sander allowed six runs – three earned, on four hits in 1 1/3 innings in falling to 0-4.
The Roadrunners host future SLC member Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 9. First pitch in game one is set for 1 p.m.
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