TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The UTSA softball team dropped a pair of close decisions on Saturday at the Bama Bash, falling to Louisville, 2-1, before dropping a 3-1 decision to Syracuse.
Freshman Molly Fichtner provided all the offense with two home runs for the Roadrunners (2-7), who have lost seven consecutive games after starting the year with a pair of victories.
The Houston native led off the second inning against the Cardinals (4-4) with her fourth homer of the season. Her blast over the wall in right center gave UTSA an early 1-0 lead.
However, the advantage was short-lived, as an error and two-out single led to an unearned run in the third before Maggie Ruckenbrod’s RBI single gave Louisville the lead for good.
The Roadrunners had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh when junior Nikki Goff was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by fellow junior Ashley Kappler. However, she was unable to move any further, as a pair of pinch hitters were unable to plate the tying run.
Despite a solid effort in the circle, sophomore Haylee Staton (1-2) took the loss after allowing both runs in six innings of work.
Tori Collins (2-2), who surrendered just three hits while fanning 12, went the distance for the Cardinals.
Unlike their meeting on Friday morning, it was the Orange (7-1) who jumped ahead in the early innings on Saturday evening.
A pair of singles and a walk resulted in a first-inning score and junior Morgan Luksa escaped a second-inning jam with just one run coming across the plate.
After loading the bases with one out, Rachel Helman singled through the right side to score Gaby Torzilli. Morgan Nandin tried to make it 3-0 on the play, but senior shortstop Carrie Monroe fired a perfect strike to Fichtner for the second out of the frame. Luksa then got Lisaira Daniels to foul out to end the threat.
Syracuse starter Stacy Kuwik, who faced the Roadrunners for two innings on Friday, kept the UTSA offense at bay until the bottom of the sixth when Fichtner launched her second homer of the day and fourth of the young campaign.
The Orange tacked on an insurance run in the seventh and Kuwik (3-0) set the Birds down in order in the bottom of the frame to wrap up the complete-game five-hitter.
Luksa (1-2) went the distance for the second time this spring. She scattered 12 hits and struck out four.
UTSA concludes tournament play at 11 a.m. on Sunday against Louisville (4-5).
