? Game 1 box score
? Game 2 box score
| Sophomore Emily Humpal tossed a one-hitter in the 3-1 victory on Saturday. |
HAMMOND, La. ? Junior Kelly Cato’s two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh inning helped lift UTSA to a 3-1 victory over Southeastern Louisiana in game one of a Southland Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at North Oak Park. Kateyn Thomason tossed a one-hitter and the Lady Lions plated two unearned runs in a 2-1 win in the nightcap.
The Roadrunners moved to 13-13 on the season and 8-6 in league play, while SLU improved to 10-16 and 1-10.
With the game tied at 1-1 and two outs in the top of the seventh, Cato grounded a 2-2 pitch from SLU starter Catherine Gunther up the middle to plate a pair of pinch-runners in junior Chelsey Chapman and freshman Elyse Seals. Junior Krista Sitka singled to left center with one out and sophomore Emily Humpal doubled to left to get the inning started.
The Roadrunners scratched first with a run in the third inning. Humpal drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a single by junior Cassie Miller. Cato then earned a free pass to load the bases with no outs for junior Rudi Cantu, who came through with an RBI-single to left center. SLU got out of the jam with a fielder’s choice and a double play.
The Lady Lions knotted the score at 1-all in the fifth with the help of an error. Lauren Coniglio reached on a fielder’s choice and came all the way around to score on an infield miscue off the bat of Amber Freeman.
Humpal was nearly dominant in the circle, allowing just one unearned run on one hit and striking out three batters to run her record to 7-6 on the season. Gunther (3-8) gave up three runs on six hits in the loss.
Thomason and the SLU defense kept the UTSA bats at bay in game two. The right-hander allowed one run on one hit and fanned five batters in improving to 3-2 on the year. The victory also snapped a UTSA 17-game winning streak dating back to 2003.
The Lady Lions pushed a run across in the second with the help of another UTSA error. Katie Duhe was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Kelly Lyman then beat out a ground ball to the shortstop for a base hit and a throwing error trying to get Duhe at third allowed the first run of the game to come home.
UTSA responded with a manufactured run in the top of the third. Cantu singled through the right side of the infield, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Ashley Kappler and scored on a sac fly to right field by freshman Amber Anderson.
SLU grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the frame with its second unearned run in as many innings. Jordan Logan reached on an infield single in the hole between third and short and following a pair of strikeouts moved to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by the Roadrunners. Meghan Gomez then pounded out an infield single up the middle to force the go-ahead run across.
The Roadrunners left two baserunners on in the fourth and one on in the sixth, but could not break through for another run against Thomason, who retired 10 of the last 11 she faced. Sophomore Danye Holmes (5-5) gave up just two unearned runs on four hits and punched out seven in the loss.