RUSTON, La. — UTSA rallied to score a run in each of the final four innings and the Roadrunners clinched this weekend's series at Louisiana Tech with a 4-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Roadrunners (25-22, 8-10 WAC) were led by Haylee Staton (13-8), who picked up her second win of the weekend after allowing just one run on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. UTSA racked up eight hits, including a pair from Megan Low and Siera Sproul and the duo each finished with an RBI.
Meanwhile, Dacia Hale provided the Lady Techsters (23-24, 8-10 WAC) with their only score on a solo home run in the third.
The Roadrunners threatened early with a one-out triple from Courtney Buchman, but Louisiana Tech hurler Melanie Goff got back-to-back grounders escape the inning.
Staton allowed a one-out single up the middle in the first before retiring the next nine batters that she faced.
Hale broke that streak when she turned on Staton’s 1-2 pitch and connected on her sixth round-tripper of the campaign to left.
However, UTSA went on to score runs in each of the next four innings to grab its first conference series victory since a league-opening sweep at Texas State from March 22-23.
Buchman got the offense rolling in the fourth with a leadoff walk and she moved to second on Sproul’s sacrifice bunt. Low followed with her team-leading 27th RBI of the season on a single up the middle.
An inning later, the Roadrunners plated a run with two outs on a throwing error by Goff and the Birds used back-to-back singles en route to another two-out tally in the sixth.
Sproul and Low led off the panel with base hits to right center and left, respectively, before moving into scoring position on Jolene Graham’s sacrifice bunt. Louisiana Tech intentionally walked Vivian Tijerina with two outs, but Samantha Beeson came through with a single to right to push the lead to 3-1.
UTSA added one more insurance run in the seventh against reliever Michelle Jones.
Darian Blake worked a full-count walk and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and passed ball before touching home on Sproul’s hit up the middle.
The lead was more than enough for Staton, who worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh to secure the victory. The Austin native did not allow a hit after the fourth inning and retired 10 of the last 11 batters that she faced.
Meanwhile, Goff (2-5) surrendered three runs on seven hits and two walks to go along with a pair of strikeouts.
UTSA will return home next weekend and wrap up the regular season with a three-game home series against UT Arlington (21-24, 5-12 WAC). The set will get underway at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 3.