| Junior Leanne Risberg was 3-for-4 with a double, homer and three RBIs on Sunday. |
NATCHITOCHES, La. ? Junior Leanne Risberg, sophomore Krista Sitka and freshman Danye Holmes led a season-high 18-hit barrage with three hits apiece and senior Janeille Nickels tossed a complete game to lead UTSA to a 12-1 win at Northwestern State on Sunday afternoon at Demon Diamond.
With the win, the Roadrunners completed their fourth Southland Conference series sweep of the season and moved to 16-8 in league play and 21-22 overall. UTSA remains in third place in the league standings behind Texas State (20-4) and Stephen F. Austin (16-7). The Demons fell to 8-42 and 3-23.
Risberg finished 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and a team-best three RBIs, while Holmes was 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. Sitka was 3-for-5 with a run scored and sophomores Rudi Cantu, Kelly Cato and Cassie Miller collected two hits apiece.
Meanwhile, Nickels allowed just one unearned run on five hits and struck out five against zero walks in running her record to 4-3 on the year.
Holmes launched a towering home run over the fence in right center, her team-leading seventh long ball of the season, to plate Risberg, who doubled over the right fielder’s head, and give UTSA a 2-0 lead in the top of the third.
Risberg followed suit in the fourth with a two-run line drive shot to left field, her sixth of the year, that scored Cantu, who singled through the left side of the infield.
The Roadrunners broke the game open with a three-run fifth, all with two outs. Senior Kourtney Jones drilled her first triple of the season to the fence in right center and scored on a single to short left field by Miller. A walk to senior Lindsay Perry and a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position for Cantu, who singled to left center to push the lead to 7-0.
The Demons scored an unearned run on the bottom of the fifth, as Leslie Johnson singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on a passed ball and scored on an infield single by Mallorie Thornton, who beat out a close play at first base.
UTSA got the run back in the sixth on an RBI-single by Cato to extend the advantage to 8-1. A four-run seventh, highlighted by sacrifice flies from Risberg and Jones put the game out of reach.
Sara Dornelas was charged with the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in four innings of work to fall to 6-22. Randi Stuard led Northwestern State at the plate with a 2-for-3 afternoon.
The Roadrunners return home to host Stephen F. Austin in a three-game league set next weekend (April 26-27) at Roadrunner Field.