· Box score
· North Texas/UC Riverside box score
| Junior Emily Blackburn finished this weekend's UTSA Invitational with a .500 batting average (5-for-10). |
SAN ANTONIO – Sophomore Laura Little's grounder to short with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth was misplayed and it allowed the game-winning runs to score, as UTSA slipped past North Texas, 2-1, in the final game of the UTSA Invitational on Sunday at Roadrunner Field.
Trailing, 1-0, with the bases full and two out in the sixth, Little grounded a ball up the middle and the miscue pushed senior pinch runner Chelsey Chapman home from third and, as the ball scooted into center field, senior pinch runner Kim Gonzales came home from second to score the go-ahead run.
Junior transfer Emily Blackburn, who hit .500 (5-for-10) in the tournament, started the rally with a leadoff base hit to left center field. Junior Kristin Kappler then drew a full-count walk and sophomore transfer Nikki Goff followed a strikeout with a base hit to left field to load the bags. A punchout of junior pinch hitter Danye Holmes set the stage for Little’s heroics.
Junior right-hander Emily Humpal earned the win to run her record to 3-3 on the season. The Corpus Christi native struck out six and scattered four hits in the complete-game outing.
The Roadrunners improved to 4-10 on the year and finished their first home tourney since 2005 with a 2-2 record. The Mean Green fell to 5-6 on the season.
After four scoreless frames, North Texas finally broke through for the first run of the game on a line drive that just cleared the left center-field wall by Megan Rupp with one out in the top of the fifth.
UTSA threatened to tie the score in the bottom of the frame, as senior Cassie Miller drew a leadoff walk and sophomore Laura Little’s sacrifice bunt was mishandled by the Mean Green catcher to put runners at first and second with nobody out. UNT right-hander Brittany Simmons worked out of the jam with two fly balls to the outfield and a groundout to keep the 1-0 lead.
Simmons (0-3) walked six, fanned five and allowed just three hits and both runs surrendered were unearned.
North Texas defeated UC Riverside, 7-2, in the early game Sunday. The Mean Green finished the tournament with a 3-2 record, while the Highlanders posted a 2-3 mark in the three-day tournament.
The Roadrunners continue their 11-game home stand with the Southland Conference-opening series against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi this Tuesday-Wednesday, March 2-3. First pitch in a Tuesday twinbill is slated for 5 p.m., followed by a single game at 1 p.m. Wednesday.