TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Freshman Molly Fichtner went 3-for-4 with a triple, two home runs and four RBIs to lead the UTSA softball team in a pair of losses on Friday's opening day of the Bama Bash.
Syracuse scored three unanswered runs for a 4-3 comeback win in the opener before No. 3 Alabama jumped out in front early and took a 13-5 six-inning, run-rule victory in the nightcap.
Syracuse uses late rally to top Roadrunners, 4-3
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Syracuse scored three unanswered runs over the final three innings to rally from a 3-1 deficit and the Orange defeated UTSA, 4-3, in Friday's opening game of the Bama Bash.
Syracuse (5-0) took advantage of a pair of errors by junior first baseman Caityln Ivy in the opening frame to plate an unearned run. The Orange threatened again in the second before a foul out ended the stanza.
Freshman Siera Sproul tied things up in the third after scoring on a wild pitch. The Liberty Hill native singled, moved to third on a double by senior Carrie Monroe and crossed the plate on Jenna Caira's errant offering.
UTSA (2-4) tacked on a pair of runs an inning later when senior Kristin Kappler slugged a two-run home run over the center field fence. Freshman Molly Fichtner led off the panel with her first triple of the season before Kappler's recorded the 16th long ball of her career.
However, that would be all the offense the Roadrunners managed the rest of the way.
The Syracuse comeback began in the fifth, when Lacey Kohl hit a two-run homer to right center.
The Orange won it two innings later when Lisaira Daniels' RBI-single plated Stephanie Watts, who led off the inning with a double off UTSA sophomore starter Haylee Staton.
Stacy Kuwik (1-0) surrendered just one hit in her two innings out of the bullpen to earn the victory, while Staton (1-1) surrendered all four runs in six-plus innings and took the loss for the Roadrunners.
UTSA will face No. 3 Alabama (6-0) later today at 6 p.m.
Fichtner’s homers not enough against No. 3 Alabama
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Despite two home runs and four RBIs from freshman Molly Fichtner, UTSA could not match the nation's No. 3 team, Alabama, in a 13-5 six-inning, run-rule loss on Friday night at Rhoads Stadium. It was the second game of the day for both squads in the Bama Bash.
The Crimson Tide (7-0) jumped on top early with three runs on five hits in the top of the first inning. Run-scoring knocks by Whitney Larsen, Cassie Reilly-Boccia and Jackie Traina made it 3-0 for the event’s hosts.
Senior Carrie Monroe started a tying rally for the Roadrunners (2-5) in the bottom half of the frame with a single to left field. After a fly out, junior Caitlyn Ivy walked to set the table for the first of Fichtner’s two blasts of the day.
The Houston native took a 2-2 pitch from starter Lauren Sewell and put it over the fence in right center for her second bomb against a ranked squad this season.
Alabama answered with a six-run outburst in the second off junior Morgan Luksa and freshman reliever Katy Akins to take control of the game.
The Tide recorded a double and three homers during the rally that sent seven runners to the plate.
Akins settled down and held Alabama scoreless for the next three innings.
After a strikeout to start the fifth, Fichtner left the park once again, this time with a solo shot to left field. An error allowed senior Kristin Kappler to reach second before she crossed the plate on freshman Jori Fox’s pinch-hit single to left center, which made it 9-5.
However, that would be the closest the Roadrunners got the rest of the way, as the Crimson Tide put the game away with four runs on four hits in the sixth for the run-rule victory.
Sewell moved to 2-0 after allowing five runs in 4.2 innings of work, while Luksa (1-2) was saddled with the loss after surrendering six runs in one-plus inning of work.
UTSA will square off against Louisville (3-4) at 11 a.m. on Saturday before a 6 p.m. rematch with Syracuse, which won both its games on Friday to improve to a perfect 6-0 on the season.
