· Box score
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Senior Jessica Rogers and freshmen Rudi Cantu and Kelly Cato collected two hits apiece and junior Amanda Nikolenko was solid in the circle as UTSA dropped Northern Illinois, 6-1, Sunday morning on the final day of the UCSB Mini-Tournament held at Campus Diamond.
Cantu went 2-for-3 with a run batted in and two runs scored, while Cato was 2-for-3 with a run. Rogers posted a 2-for-4, two-RBI day at the plate as the Roadrunners (5-10) pounded out 10 hits against Huskies starter Kate Greenough (5-3), who held UTSA to two runs on four hits in a 5-2 win on Friday.
Nikolenko scattered seven hits and gave up just one run and no walks in a complete-game effort that moved her record to 4-7.
UTSA got on the board in the top of the first as Cantu singled on the infield to start the game and later scored on a ground ball to second off the bat of senior Aimee Murray.
Northern Illinois tied the game with a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Michelle Nendza.
The Roadrunners broke the game open with three runs on three hits in the fifth. Freshman Cassie Miller drew a leadoff walk and junior pinch runner Kim Chavez moved to third following a single by Cato and a passed ball. Freshman Mercedes Hessel then grounded a single up the middle to plate Chavez with the go-ahead run. A sacrifice fly to center by Cantu scored Cato and moved Hessel, who had reached second on the throw home after her base hit, to third with one out. Junior Kourtney Jones laid down a squeeze bunt to score Hessel and make it 4-1.
UTSA tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Meanwhile Nikolenko cruised through the sixth and stranded two base runners in the seventh as the Roadrunners finished the tournament at 2-3.
The Roadrunners begin defense of three consecutive Southland Conference regular season championships when they travel to league newcomer Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a three-game series from Feb. 27-28.
