SAN ANTONIO — San Jose State held UTSA to just two runs en route to a doubleheader sweep on Saturday by scores of 2-0 and 3-2 at Roadrunner Field.
The losses snapped a four-game winning streak for the Roadrunners (19-14, 4-2 WAC), who got four hits, including a pair of doubles, from Darian Blake. The Katy native tied a season-high with three knocks in the opener and came away with a two-bagger and a run scored in the nightcap.
Meanwhile, the Spartans (26-11, 5-1 WAC) moved back into first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with the sweep. After losing Friday night's opener, Amanda Pridmore came in to close out both games to earn saves Nos. 5 and 6, while Markesha Collins recorded a pair of hits and an RBI.
UTSA left seven runners on base in the opener, including at least one in each inning except the seventh.
Starting pitchers Alyssa Vordenbaum and Allison Lang each kept the opposition off the scoreboard until the visitors broke through in the fifth.
Nicole Schultz reached on a fielder’s choice and BranDee Garcia singled to left field on a 2-1 pitch from Vordenbaum. Schultz moved from first to third on the play, while Garcia took second when the Roadrunners tried to get the lead runner.
Collins grounded out to second base, which allowed Schultz to score, and the lead moved to 2-0 when Garcia touched home after a Vordenbaum wild pitch.
That was enough, as Pridmore entered the game after Blake’s one-out double in the bottom of the frame and she retired eight of the nine hitters she faced.
Lang (5-1) allowed six hits and walked just one Roadrunner in 4.1 innings, while Vordenbaum (7-6) took the loss despite giving up just four hits to go along with two strikeouts.
San Jose State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening inning of the second game on Annica Wolfe’s single up the middle and the advantage grew to three with a pair of unearned runs in the third.
Spartans starting pitcher Madison Fish (3-2) allowed just three hits in the first six innings, but she exited the contest after Samantha Beeson broke the UTSA scoring drought with a solo home run to left center. Beeson took Fish’s 1-1 pitch over the scoreboard for her first round-tripper of the campaign.
The blast chased Fish from the game in favor of Pridmore, who retired Vivian Tijerina and Paige Hamilton before Blake’s hustle double put the tying run at the plate. Courtney Buchman came up next and drove in Blake with a hit to center to pull UTSA to within one at 3-2.
Back-to-back singles from Siera Sproul and Megan Low loaded the bases, but Pridmore notched the save after getting Jolene Graham out on strikes to end the game.
Staton (9-5) gave up three runs on nine hits in going the distance. The Austin native walked three and struck out six.
Meanwhile, Fish surrendered a run on four hits and fanned four.
The Roadrunners will be back in action at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 6, when they play at Utah State (5-28, 0-6 WAC).