SAN ANTONIO — UTSA will look to extend its five-game winning streak this weekend when it faces Northern Colorado and Nevada at the Nevada Classic.
The Roadrunners (14-8) will open the three-day event with a 2 p.m. (CT) contest against the Bears (7-15-1) before a 5 p.m. (CT) tilt with the host Wolf Pack (13-12). The Birds will face the same squads at noon and 5 p.m. (CT), respectively, the following day and close the event with a noon (CT) matchup against Northern Colorado on Sunday.
UTSA has scored 33 runs (6.6 per game) during its winning streak, which is its longest since the 2011 season.
In Wednesday’s win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Courtney Buchman helped break the game open with a three-run triple during a seven-run second inning. Jolene Graham added season highs with three hits and a pair of RBIs, while Alyssa Vordenbaum ran her record to 5-3 with four solid innings of relief in the circle.
The Roadrunners’ .293 team batting average ranks third in the Western Athletic Conference, while their 2.55 ERA trails only UT Arlington in the circuit.
Northern Colorado enters the weekend on a seven-game losing streak and its last victory came on Feb. 2 against Jackson State. Lindsey Smith leads the squad with a .328 batting average to go along with three home runs and 17 RBIs. Mikayla Duffy is hitting .306 and has scored a team-high 12 runs. Kelci Cheney has seen the most work in the circle with 17 appearances and she owns a 5-4 record with a 3.73 ERA. Her 44 strikeouts in 62 innings are tops among the staff.
Meanwhile, Nevada has won four of its last five contests and will be playing its first home games of the spring this weekend. The Wolf Pack picked up wins against Cal Poly, Northern Illinois and Rutgers at last weekend’s Mustang Classic in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The team boasts four .300 hitters, led by Erin Jones at .395 and she also has a pair of homers and 21 RBIs. Sara Parsons leads the team with four long balls and 25 RBIs, while Karlyn Jones paces the pitching staff with a 15-9 record and 3.48 ERA.
UTSA won its only meeting with Northern Colorado, 9-1, on Feb. 26, 2005, while it will be facing Nevada for the first time in program history.