? Illlinois-Chicago box score
? North Dakota State box score
| Freshman Whitney Balch went a combined 5-for-5 on Saturday and is 7-for-8 in the first three games of the Hotel Encanto Invitational. |
LAS CRUCES, N.M. ? Sophomore Kelly Cato and freshmen Whitney Balch and Kristin Kappler all went yard to help lead UTSA to an 11-3 run-ruling of Illinois-Chicago in the first of two games for the Roadrunners on day two of the Hotel Encanto Invitational.
Balch went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in hitting her first career home run, while Kappler and Cato both went 1-for-3 with two and three RBIs, respectively.
The Roadrunners (2-3) pounded out 10 hits off a pair of UIC hurlers, touching up starter Sarah Clynes (0-4) for eight earned runs on seven hits in five innings. Seven different Roadrunners recorded a hit, including two apiece by sophomore Rudi Cantu and freshman Danye Holmes, who along with sophomore Krista Sitka, extended their hitting streaks to five games.
Meanwhile, UTSA senior right-hander Janeille Nickels was solid in the circle, striking out three and allowing just three runs on eight hits in running her record to 1-1 on the year.
Following two scoreless innings in a game delayed two hours by inclement weather, UIC broke through for the first run of the game in the top of the third when Lauren Brennan singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to left field by Clynes.
UTSA answered in the bottom of the fourth, as Balch drew a two-out walk and scored on Cato’s blast to put the Roadrunners up, 2-1.
The Flames knotted the score at two on a solo shot by Brittany Dixon in the top of the fifth, but UTSA broke the game open with six runs in the bottom of the frame.
Junior Leanne Risberg, Cantu and Holmes loaded the bases with consecutive singles and Sitka then cleared the bags with a double to deep center field to put the Roadrunners on top, 5-2. A single, a walk and a fielder’s choice later set the table for Balch’s three-run blast that pushed the lead to 8-2.
Melissa Marinacci clubbed a solo homer in the top of the fifth, but UTSA put the eight-run rule into effect in the bottom of the frame when Kappler went deep to plate Cantu and Holmes ? who both singled ? to end the game.
Later in the afternoon, Balch continued her impressive weekend, going 3-for-3 with a home run, but North Dakota State took advantage of five unearned runs to pull out a 6-1 victory.
Balch recorded three of the Roadrunners’ six hits and has gone 7-for-8 through the first three games of the tournament. Cantu, Cato and Kappler had a base hit apiece as UTSA (2-4) fell to 1-2 on the weekend.
Jackie Currie led the Bison’s nine-hit attack, going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Meanwhile, Allison Bakke (4-1) allowed just one run on six hits and registered four strikeouts in earning the win in the circle.
Currie put the Bison on the board first with a two-out single that plated Kelly Cantrell, who reached on an error.
Balch responded with her second home run of the day to knot the score at one after 1 ? innings.
NDSU pushed across four unearned runs on five hits, including an RBI-double by Currie, in the bottom of the frame to build a 5-1 lead. The Bison tacked on their only earned run of the game in the bottom of the sixth, as Bakke entered the game as a pinch runner for Currie after her second two-bagger, moved to third on a groundout and stole home after a walk to Richel Briones.
UTSA plays New Mexico State and UT Arlington on Sunday to round out action the weekend.