HOUSTON — Siera Sproul combined to go 5-for-6 at the plate with a home run and six RBIs to lead UTSA to a doubleheader sweep at Houston Baptist by scores of 10-4 and 4-2 on Wednesday at Husky Field.
The Liberty Hill native had three hits in the opener to set a career high, while she set a new personal standard with three RBIs in each contest.
Meanwhile, Haylee Staton picked up a win and a save for the Roadrunners (13-8) for the second consecutive twinbill and UTSA now has won four consecutive games (six of last seven overall).
The Huskies (5-5) were led by Daniella Rodarte, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI in both contests.
'The Roadrunners will continue their 11-game road trip on Wednesday, March 13, when they face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-15). The contest is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Chapman Field.
Game #1: UTSA 10, Houston Baptist 4
Sproul set career bests with three hits and three RBIs, while Darian Blake went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs as UTSA pounded out 10 hits in a 10-4 victory in Wednesday's opener.
Staton (7-2) allowed four runs on six hits to go along with five strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
The Roadrunners opened up a 4-0 lead with two runs in each of the first two innings.
Alexis Ramirez drew a full-count walk and stole second for her eighth swipe of the season to start the contest. After getting Blake out on strikes, Houston Baptist starter Kendall Stiefel then walked Megan Low and Jolene Graham to load the bases.
Ramirez touched home after Stiefel was called for an illegal pitch and, following a Courtney Buchman fly out, Low crossed the plate on Sproul’s single to left. Graham tried to score from second on the play, but she was thrown out at home to end the stanza.
After a quick one-two-three bottom half of the inning, UTSA plated two more in the second with the help of a Huskies error.
Victoria Birdwell singled to open the frame and, two batters later, Paige Hamilton reached on an error by shortstop Rodarte. Another out moved the runners to second and third and both scored on Blake’s double to left, which gave UTSA a 4-0 advantage.
However, Houston Baptist sliced the lead in half with RBI doubles from Rodarte and Victoria Granchelli in the second before the Roadrunners tacked on three more in the third.
Graham welcomed reliever Keely Shuler to the contest with a single to left and moved to second when Buchman was hit by a pitch. Shuler then failed to retire Sproul on her sacrifice attempt and the error allowed both runs to score. Standing on third, Sproul scored on Birdwell’s grounder to push the lead to 7-2.
The Huskies scored two runs in the bottom of the panel only to see UTSA put the game away with another two-spot in the fourth and a run in the sixth.
Ramirez opened the fourth with a single before Samantha Beeson entered the game as a pinch runner. Another hit by Blake put runners on first and second before Low loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Buchman picked up an RBI after she was hit by a wild toss from Shuler and Sproul capped the frame with a run-scoring single to left.
Two innings later, Sproul provided the final run of the contest with a double that scored pinch-runner Crystal Moreno from second.
Staton allowed just one hit over the final four innings and closed the contest with a strikeout of Mac Christensen.
Meanwhile, Stiefel (1-2) surrendered four runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks in two innings. Shuler allowed five earned runs on seven hits in her five relief panels.
Game #2: UTSA 4, Houston Baptist 2
Alyssa Vordenbaum retired the first 11 batters she faced and Sproul added a home run and three more RBIs, as UTSA held off Houston Baptist, 4-2, in the nightcap.
Low went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI for the Roadrunners, while Vordenbaum (3-2) scattered five hits and struck out three in six innings. Staton logged her second save of the season with a scoreless seventh.
UTSA got on the board with a two-out rally in the first.
After Lori Earl struck out the first two batters of the game, she hit Low with a pitch and Graham followed with a single to center. An error by third baseman Melissa Granchelli extended the inning and loaded the bases. Sproul stepped up to the plate and took Earl’s first pitch to left for a single to give the Birds an early 2-0 lead.
The Roadrunners pushed the lead to 4-0 with runs in the fifth and sixth.
Cosette Hernandez started the fifth with a single up the middle and moved to second on a grounder before Low drove her home with a base hit to center.
Sproul put an exclamation point on her day an inning later with a solo homer. Again, she struck early in the count and took Earl’s first pitch over the fence in center for her third long ball of the campaign.
However, the Huskies cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the sixth. Melissa Herman plated a run with a sacrifice fly and Rodarte finished the scoring with a single to center.
Houston Baptist had a chance to win it in the seventh after loading the bases with no outs.
A Victoria Granchelli double to start the inning ended Vordenbaum’s day in favor of Staton, who gave up a single and walk to put the tying run in scoring position.
However, Staton got Lauren Schwirtlich to pop up to Hamilton, who doubled off Victoria Granchelli at third for the second out of the inning. Staton then finished off her second save of the year with a ground out to third.
Earl (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits in going the distance.