· Game 1 box score
· Game 2 box score
| Janeille Nickels | Krista Sitka |
HAMMOND, La. — Junior Janeille Nickels tossed a four-hitter and freshman Krista Sitka hit her second game-winning home run in as many weeks to help lead UTSA to a 3-1, 7-6 doubleheader sweep of Southeastern Louisiana in Southland Conference softball action on Saturday afternoon at North Oak Park.
Nickels allowed just one run on four hits and struck out five in a 3-1 victory game one, running her record to 5-4 on the season and 3-1 in SLC play. Sitka broke a 6-6 tie in the nightcap with a solo blast in the top of the seventh as the Roadrunners moved to 12-13 overall and 6-2 in league play. Sitka had a three-run homer to help UTSA beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 28. The Lions fell to 14-11 and 3-4.
Offensively, freshman Rudi Cantu led the UTSA effort in game one, going 3-for-4 with a double and a run batted in, while senior Jessica Rogers, sophomore Leanne Risberg and redshirt freshman Kelly Cato all had a hit apiece off of SLU starter Rachel Ray (7-3).
UTSA struck first with a run in the top of the second. Risberg reached on a leadoff bunt, moved to second on a ground ball and scored on a single down the left field line by Cato.
The Roadrunners added two in the fifth. Cato drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a double to left by Cantu, who came home on a two-out single to left by Rogers.
Rebecca de la Garza hit a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the seventh and Brooke Lockhart reached on a two-out single to bring the tying run to the plate. Nickels worked out of the jam with groundout to second.
Game two featured more offense for both teams, as UTSA pounded out nine hits while SLU had eight in the 7-6 win for the Roadrunners.
Cantu and Sitka had two hits each, while Cato, Risberg, seniors Aimee Murray and Catherine Garza and junior Kim Chavez had a hit apiece.
Arica Rodriguez led the Lions with a 3-for-3 night, while Carolann Wenisch had two base hits.
UTSA scratched for a run in the top of the first on an RBI-double by Murray that plated junior Kourtney Jones, who walked. SLU answered with a pair in the bottom of the frame on a wild pitch and a de la Garza RBI-single.
The Lions extended their lead to 6-1 with four in the bottom of the second. A bases-loaded double to right center by Michelle Lemons pushed two runs across, while two more runs scored on an RBI-groundout by Wenisch and another wild pitch.
UTSA answered with five runs in the top of the third, chasing SLU starter Nicole Schoenberger. Risberg, Cato and Cantu had run-scoring singles, while Chavez drove in two on a base hit to left.
The game remained tied until the top of the seventh, when Sitka launched her third home run of the season. Junior Amanda Nikolenko stranded a runner in the bottom of the frame to secure the win. She struck out six and allowed three earned runs on eight hits in running her record to 7-9 overall and 3-1 in the league.
Game three is set for noon Sunday.