? Game 1 box score
? Game 2 box score
| Senior Amanda Nikolenko (left) and freshman Danye Holmes were the heroes in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Southeastern Louisiana. | |
SAN ANTONIO ? Senior Amanda Nikolenko tossed a two-hit shutout and freshman Danye Holmes hit a three-run walk-on home run to lead UTSA past Southeastern Louisiana, 3-0, in game one of a Southland Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field. Holmes and Nikolenko then combined for a win and save in a 2-1 nightcap victory that extended the Roadrunners’ winning streak against the Lady Lions to 15 games dating back to 2003.
UTSA moved to 11-11 overall and 7-4 in league play with the sweep, while SLU fell to 17-7 and 6-5.
Nikolenko (4-5) was brilliant in the circle in the opener, as she limited a Lady Lions offense that entered the series batting .303 and scoring six runs per game to just two hits in her 12th career shutout. The right-hander struck out eight batters and did not allow a walk for the third straight game and seventh time on the season.
Senior Kourtney Jones started the bottom of the seventh with a single through the left side of the infield, part of her 3-for-3 day at the plate, and moved to second on a ground ball off the bat of sophomore Rudi Cantu. Junior Leanne Risberg was hit by a pitch, setting the table for Holmes’ dramatic blast over the right field fence, her third long ball of the year.
The Roadrunners had chances earlier in the game to push across runs, but left the bases loaded twice. UTSA used three consecutive two-out hits - two of them infield singles ? to load the bags in the bottom of the third, but SLU right-hander Rachel Ray induced a pop-up on the infield to end the threat.
In the fifth, UTSA loaded the bases with one out on singles by senior Lindsay Perry and Jones and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Cantu, but Ray got out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout to first base.
Meanwhile, Heather Sherrill broke up Nikolenko’s no-hit bid with a full-count base hit to short center field with two outs in the top of the fourth inning, but was stranded at first on a pop-up.
Sophomore Krista Sitka extended her hitting streak to six games with a single to left in the sixth, joining Jones, Holmes, Cantu, Risberg and Perry in the hit column.
Ray allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out seven in falling to 8-4 on the season. Sherrill and Katie Duhe collected the only hits of the contest for the Lions.
In game two, UTSA struck first in the bottom of the third, as Cantu doubled to the fence in left center, moved to third on a single by Risberg and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Sitka.
Brooke Lockhart knotted the score at 1-1 on a solo homer to left in the fourth.
Sophomore Mercedes Hessel provided the go-ahead run in the sixth, as she pushed across senior Kim Chavez, who pinch ran for freshman Kristin Kappler following a leadoff walk, with a sac fly to center field.
Holmes pitched two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief to earn the win, while Nikolenko came on with the tying run at first and no outs in the top of the seventh and put the first batter she saw on with a walk. She then retired Jill Machleit with a nice snag on a ground ball back to the circle that pushed the runners to second and third, and then forced Kayla Christy into a short fly ball to left for the second out. With Duhe at the plate, a pitch low and in the dirt got away from freshman catcher Whitney Balch, but she made a nice throw to Nikolenko covering home plate in plenty of time to tag Arica Rodriguez with the final out.
Cantu led a seven-hit attack at the plate with a 2-for-3 day, while Kappler, Risberg Hessel and Perry registered a hit apiece.
Jenna Yoder took the loss to fall to 7-4, allowing two runs on seven hits in six innings of work.
Game three is set for noon on Sunday.