SAN MARCOS — Samantha Beeson’s two-run single in the fourth erased a one-run deficit and that helped lift UTSA to a 3-1 victory at Texas State on Saturday in the series finale at Bobcat Softball Field. With the win, the Roadrunners swept the three-game series in San Marcos for the first time since 1996.
Vivian Tijerina went 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Victoria Birdwell also added a pair of hits for UTSA, which improved to 18-12 overall and 3-0 in Western Athletic Conference action. Haylee Staton scattered four hits and allowed one unearned run for the win and Alyssa Vordenbaum pitched two perfect innings and struck out four to pick up the save.
Meanwhile, Kellie Baker walked and scored the only run for the Bobcats (5-25, 0-3 WAC) and Rayn House suffered the loss with two unearned runs in 4.2 frames.
Similar to the series opener on Friday, Texas State opened the scoring with an unearned run in the first inning.
Kellie Baker started the inning with a walk and scored on a throwing error by Vivian Tijerina. Brooke Baker laid down a sacrifice bunt that Tijerina fielded, but her throw to first was up the line and allowed the runner to come all the way around for the early lead.
The score remained 1-0 until Beeson’s hit in the fourth.
Megan Low and Siera Sproul reached on errors to start the frame and the miscues chased House from the game for reliever Delia Saucedo.
A pop-up and grounder moved the runners to second and third with two outs for Beeson, who singled to center field on the first pitch of the at-bat for a 2-1 lead that the Roadrunners would not relinquish.
UTSA had a chance to add to the inning, but Saucedo got a strikeout to end the panel with the bases loaded.
The Birds tacked on a run in the sixth, which started with an infield single by Birdwell and Beeson’s sacrifice bunt. Tijerina came up and deposited Saucedo’s 1-1 offering to right center to push the lead to 3-1 and notch her 18th RBI of the campaign.
However, Texas State would not go away and put runners on first and second to start the sixth. Brooke Baker’s infield hit and a walk to Hayley Lemons ended Staton’s day in favor of Vordenbaum.
After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners 60 feet, Vordenbaum got Katie Doerre out on strikes and ended the threat on a pop up by Jordan Masek.
Vordenbaum shut the door in the seventh with three strikeouts to earn her second save and finish off a perfect two innings of relief. She preserved Staton’s ninth win after the Austin native allowed one run on four hits and a pair of walks.
The Roadrunners will return to the diamond at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 29, when they host San Jose State (20-10, 1-0 WAC).