? UC Santa Barbara box score
? Northern Illinois box score
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. ? Freshman Krista Sitka’s two-run double in the top of the sixth inning helped break a tie game as UTSA beat UC Santa Barbara, 4-1, in game one of the UCSB Mini-Tournament on Friday at Campus Diamond. Northern Illinois used strong pitching to down the Roadrunners, 5-2, in a game called after six innings due to darkness.
Junior right-hander Amanda Nikolenko was solid in the game one victory, allowing one run on five hits and striking out five in running her record to 3-6 on the year.
Sitka was 1-for-3 with the two-RBI double, while freshman Rudi Cantu had two hits and a run scored. Seniors Aimee Murray and Jessica Rogers and junior Lindsay Perry also collected a hit apiece for UTSA.
The Roadrunners struck first as Cantu led off the game with an infield single, stole second and scored on a single to right by Murray.
UCSB finally broke through for a run in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Liz Walters, knotting the score at 1-1.
UTSA answered with three runs in the top of the sixth. Junior pinch hitter Kourtney Jones drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a single by Rogers to put runners at the corners with no outs. UCSB starter Lindsey Correa induced a line out to third and a fly ball to right, but Sitka came through in the clutch with the two-out double down the left field line to put the Roadrunners up, 3-1. Freshman pinch runner Chelsey Chapman then scored on an error in the outfield off the bat of senior Catherine Garza, to make it a three-run game.
The Gauchos threatened in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with one out. Nikolenko got a strikeout and a ground ball to third to end the inning and worked a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win.
Correa allowed four runs on six hits in her first loss of the season.
In the second game for UTSA, Northern Illinois starter Kate Greenough held UTSA to two runs on four hits in the six-inning win.
Cantu, Murray, Perry and Garza all collected a hit apiece and Rogers had the only RBI to lead the Roadrunners at the plate. Junior Janeille Nickels struck out four, but allowed five runs on eight hits in falling to 1-2 on the season.
The Huskies struck first on a two-run home run by Randi Kreiter that scored Kelly Park, who doubled, in the top of the third inning. Northern Illinois added three runs in the next frame as a single to right field by Kreiter brought three runs home.
UTSA got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as Murray doubled and scored on an infield error off the bat of sophomore Leanne Risberg. The Roadrunners added a run in the fifth as Perry reached on an error, advanced to second on a bunt single from Cantu and to third on a sacrifice by redshirt freshman Kelly Cato before scoring on a Rogers groundout to second.
Greenough faced the minimum in the sixth to earn the victory as the game was called due to darkness.
The Roadrunners (4-8) face Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. and Santa Clara at 4 p.m. on Saturday (all times Central).
