SAN MARCOS — UTSA opened play at the CenturyLink Classic on Friday with a 10-0 run-rule win over Grand Canyon, before a 9-5 setback against Texas Tech.
Randee Crawford went 3-for-6 with a double, homer and five RBIs on the day for the Roadrunners (5-2), while Courtney Buchman also registered three hits. In the circle, Chelsea Parker tossed the first shutout of her career and she improved to 3-0 on the campaign.
UTSA jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the opener.
Crawford gave the Roadrunners a 3-0 lead over the Antelopes (4-3) in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer to center. Buchman and Tijerina were able to trot home on Crawford’s blast, which was her second of the season, after they were able to reach base with walks against Grand Canyon starter Taylor Nowlin.
Madison Kinley used another one-out walk in the second inning to spark a three-run rally. The sophomore stole second before Jade Smith drew a free pass and Kendall Burton’s single through the right side pushed across the run for a 4-0 lead. Buchman then followed with a single to left that scored both Smith and Burton for a 6-0 advantage.
After a scoreless third, the Roadrunners put the game out of reach in the fourth.
Once again it was Kinley that started the big inning with a single to right and she would come around to score with the help of two errors. Smith and Burton reached and stole bases before Buchman picked up her third RBI of the day with a single to center. Megan Low capped the scoring with a two-run double to left-center field and 10-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Parker, who scattered four hits and a walk in five scoreless innings. The Richmond, Texas, native allowed just one runner in scoring position all day and retired the side in order in the fifth for the run-rule victory.
In the second game of the day, the Red Raiders (3-3) rallied for eight runs in the final two innings to come back and take the 9-5 win.
UTSA again started strong with three runs in the first inning with two outs. Buchman’s one-out single got the offense going and Tijerina coaxed another walk before Crawford drilled a double to the right-center field gap for a 2-0 lead. Lindsie Knowles then ripped a double of her own to left-center field and UTSA had a 3-0 cushion.
Texas Tech got one of those runs back when Brittany Warnecke led off the top of the second with a solo homer, but the Roadrunners extended their lead to 4-1 with a run on Tess Soefje’s RBI grounder in the third.
In her first start of the season, UTSA pitcher Kacy Freeze did not allow another hit until the top of the sixth, when the Red Raiders started a five-run rally with two outs. The big hit of the inning came off the bat of Kierra Miles, who smashed a three-run homer that gave Texas Tech a 5-4 lead that it would not relinquish.
The Red Raiders added three runs in the top of the seventh and the Roadrunners scored once on a ball put in play by Knowles, but could get no more in the 9-5 defeat.
Freeze took the loss after she allowed five runs on four hits to go along with a walk and eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings.
UTSA will be back in action on Saturday with a pair of games at the CenturyLink Classic. The squad will face Grand Canyon at 12:30 p.m. before a 5:30 p.m. matchup with tournament host Texas State.