| May 5, 2006
Contact: Kyle Stephens (210) 458-4551 Cantu’s 12th leads UTSA to 4-3 win over Nicholls State Box Score
NATCHITOCHES, La. – Southland Conference Freshman of the Year Brittany Cantu hit her 12th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth inning that gave the UTSA softball team a 4-3 victory over Nicholls State in the first round of the SLC Tournament held at Demon Diamond.
Trailing 3-2 with two down in the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman Rachel Rackley kept the frame alive with a blooper up the middle that the Nicholls State shortstop gloved and dropped for an error. Cantu stepped to the plate and lifted a two-strike pitch just inside the pole down the right field line to give UTSA a 4-3 lead.
Sophomore right-hander Amanda Nikolenko retired the Colonels in order in the seventh in winning her 12th straight decision. She struck out six and allowed three runs on five hits in running her record to 22-5 on the year.
With the win, the Roadrunners improve to 34-12 overall and advance to face McNeese State at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Colonels fall to 22-32 but stayed alive with a 4-0 win over Northwestern State Friday night.
Nikolenko and Nicholls starter Ally May cruised through the first three innings, allowing a combined three hits, two of them bunt singles. UTSA broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth on a lead-off home run to right field by junior Aimee Murray, her 12th long ball of the season and second hit of the game.
Nicholls answered with a home run to left by Meghan Mulcahy to start the fifth. Senior Jessica Els gave UTSA the lead again with a deep blast to center in the bottom of the fifth, her 13th home run of the year.
The Colonels grabbed the lead with two runs in the top of the sixth. Kat Harrell singled to left and advanced to second on an error with one out and then scored on a triple off the fence in right field by Teri Clouatre to knot the score at 2-2. Leah Peterson then drove in the go-ahead run on an infield single.
That set the stage for Cantu’s heroics, the third home run of the game and 92nd of the season for UTSA, now averaging 2.0 home runs per game.
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