? Game 1 box score
? Game 2 box score
| Sophomore Cassie Miller hit her first home run of the year on Tuesday. |
LUBBOCK ? Sophomore Cassie Miller launched her first home run of the season, but Alex Watkins and Ashly Jacobs combined to hold UTSA to one run on six hits in sweeping a non-conference doubleheader, 6-1 and 2-0, on Tuesday at Rocky Johnson Field.
The Red Raiders improved to 15-31 with the wins, while the Roadrunners fell to 18-22 in their final non-league games of the regular season.
Miller hit her second career round-tripper and sophomores Kelly Cato and Rudi Cantu both doubled for UTSA in game one, but Montana Patin went 2-for-2 with a homer and four RBIs to lead Texas Tech to the 6-1 win.
Tech took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, as Devin Zaragoza walked and scored on Patin’s two-run blast to center field.
Miller’s line drive shot down the left-field line in the top of the third cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Red Raiders responded with a two-out, RBI-single by Patin that plated Whitney Riley, who doubled to start the bottom of the frame.
Tech added another run in the fourth on a two-out single to center by Robyn Wike and pushed across two runs in the fifth on a Zaragoza double and a sacrifice fly by Patin for the final 6-1 margin.
Ashly Jacobs (7-12) scattered four hits in five innings of work in earning the win, while Alex Watkins struck out four in two innings of one-hit relief. Senior Amanda Nikolenko (10-13) allowed four earned runs on five hits and struck out three in the loss.
Watkins was the story in game two, striking out eight and allowing just one single to Cantu and one walk in running her record to 1-4.
Tech struck for two runs in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a pair of walks. Jennifer Corkin grounded a two-out base hit through the hole between the first and second basemen to plate Megan Shupp and Zaragoza.
That was all the offense Watkins would need, as she gave up just a single to Cantu in the fourth and got out of a jam in the seventh with a pair of fly balls to secure the victory.
Senior Janeille Nickels (3-3) was solid in the loss, allowing just two runs on three hits.
The Roadrunners wrap up their seven-game road trip with a three-game Southland Conference series at Northwestern State this Saturday-Sunday, April 19-20.