SAN ANTONIO — Senior Kristin Kappler went 5-for-7 with a home run and four RBIs and UTSA scored 22 runs on 25 hits en route to a pair of run-rule victories against Texas Southern, 12-4 and 10-2, on Tuesday at Roadrunner Field.
Kappler tied her career high for the second time in three games with three hits and freshman Jori Fox belted her first collegiate home run, a grand slam, in the second game to help the Roadrunners (16-20) improve to 10-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers.
UTSA benefitted from a sloppy defensive effort by Texas Southern (17-22), which led to a total of seven unearned runs in the lid-lifter.
The Roadrunners put three on the board in the first thanks to an error, a sacrifice fly and passed ball. Two panels later, the lead ballooned to 5-1, as a run crossed the plate on another passed ball and run-scoring single by junior Nikki Goff, the first of a career-high four RBIs in the contest.
After a three-run fourth by the Lady Tigers, UTSA locked in at the plate and put together a five-run bottom half of the frame to put the game out of reach.
The rally once again was aided by a Texas Southern miscue and Kappler and Fox produced RBI singles to widen the gap. Later in the inning, Goff’s bases-clearing triple to center made it 10-4.
The Roadrunners ended the game in the fifth with a walk-off two-run homer to left-center from off the bat of junior Ashley Kappler. The blast was her third of the season and capped a 3-for-4 outing.
Senior Emily Humpal (6-3) was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst and she was victorious after allowing four runs and fanning four in four innings. Jessica Haynes (5-5) was charged with the loss after surrendering a dozen runs (five earned) in four frames.
UTSA did not need extra outs from Lady Tigers errors to score runs in the nightcap.
The Birds matched a run from Texas Southern in the first when Kristin Kappler hit a solo homer to left, her fifth of the season.
The Roadrunners exploded for another five-run inning, this time in the third.
The rally was ignited by freshman Siera Sproul’s leadoff double and a bunt single from senior Carrie Monroe. Ashley Kappler’s sacrifice fly to left plated Sproul and singles by Kristin Kappler and junior Caitlyn Ivy loaded the bases for Fox. The San Antonio native took Rebecca Villarreal’s 1-2 offering over the fence in right center and the grand slam gave UTSA a 6-1 lead.
That was more than enough for junior starter Morgan Luksa, who buckled down after allowing a run in the first and retired 10 consecutive batters before Yesenia Torres led off the fifth with a single up the middle.
UTSA put the finishing touches on its second run-rule win of the day in the sixth with a four-run inning that started with Goff’s homer to left, her fourth of the season.
A walk to sophomore Samantha Beeson and a pair of base hits by Sproul and Monroe loaded the bases for Kristin Kappler, who singled to center to plate two runs for a 9-2 advantage. Ivy polished off a 3-for-4 outing with a single up the middle, which scored Monroe to end the contest.
Luksa (2-6) coughed up two runs (one earned) and scattered four hits in five innings, while Villarreal (5-3) gave up a half dozen runs in her four frames of work.
UTSA begins a five-game road trip on Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana (14-18, 4-8 SLC).
