| April 9, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551 Mares, UTSA complete sweep of Sam Houston Box Score
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Junior right-hander Ursula Mares tossed her second complete victory of the weekend to lead the UTSA softball team to a 2-1 victory over Sam Houston State Sunday afternoon at the Bearkat Softball Complex.
With the win, the Roadrunners complete the weekend sweep of the Bearkats and improve to 21-11 overall and 13-5 in the Southland Conference. Sam Houston falls to 15-23 and 8-11. UTSA now has won seven of the last eight meetings with the Bearkats with seven of those being decided by three or less runs.
Mares and the UTSA defense worked out of several jams as Sam Houston stranded eight base runners on the afternoon. The Pasadena native struck out four batters and allowed just one run on six hits in running her record to 7-6 on the season. Mares finished the week with a 3-0 record, one save and a 1.29 earned run average including the Tuesday doubleheader sweep of Houston.
At the plate, the Roadrunners did most of their damage early with a 2-0 lead after two and one-half innings of play. Junior Aimee Murray (right) led the way with two hits, including a double, and one run batted in, while senior Mel Torres added two hits and scored both runs.
UTSA scratched for a run in the top of the first. Torres led off with a single just off the outstretched glove of right fielder Kendra Spivey and moved to second on a sharp single to left by Murray. Torres then stole third and scored on a single by freshman Brittany Cantu that fell in just behind second baseman Lauren Boone.
Sam Houston wasted a leadoff double by Elizabeth Gibson in the bottom of the second as Mares struck out the side, leaving pinch runner Lisa Marek stranded at second.
The Roadrunners tacked on a run in the third as Torres reached on an infield error, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a crushed double over the center fielder’s head off the bat of Murray.
The Bearkats pushed a run across with two down in the bottom of the third. Boone walked and Sarah Parich was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Stephanie Mosley followed with a ground ball single up the middle to plate Boone and cut the deficit in half.
Mares worked out of a jam in the fourth inning, as well. With runners at second and third and one out, she induced a pop up on the infield and a short fly ball to center to hold on to the lead.
Back-to-back singles by Boone and Parich put runners at first and second with no outs to start the fifth. A double steal moved the runners up a base but Boone was picked off after over-sliding third. Parich moved over to third on a passed ball, but Mares got Mosley to foul out and Gibson to ground out to third to end the threat.
Mares stranded runners at first in both the sixth and seventh inning as she cruised to her fourth conference victory of the season.
Shalayne Blythe overcome a shaky start and pitched a solid complete game in the loss. She allowed two runs – one earned – on six hits and struck out three in falling to 9-13.
The Roadrunners travel to Thibodaux, La., for a three-game series at Nicholls State next Friday-Saturday, April 14-15.
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