HATTIESBURG, Miss. — UTSA pounded out 20 hits, including nine for extra bases, and it opened Conference USA play with a doubleheader sweep of Southern Miss by scores of 11-4 and 7-3 on Saturday afternoon.
Jade Smith went 6-for-6 with a double and four runs scored to help lead the Roadrunners (17-5, 2-0 C-USA). Randee Crawford slugged a pair of homers and drove in five runs, while Megan Low went 4-for-7 with a three-run round-tripper.
In the circle, Nicole Merrill and Kacy Freeze each went the distance to improve to 6-2 and 4-1, respectively, on the season. The duo recorded six strikeouts apiece in their seven innings of work.
UTSA turned a walk to Low in the first inning of the opener into a run when Vivian Tijerina lined a two-out double to right field. Burton put the Roadrunners up 2-1 in the third with a sacrifice fly, but the Golden Eagles (12-7, 0-2 C-USA) grabbed a 3-2 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame.
However, it would be the only Southern Miss lead of the day and it would not last as UTSA scored three runs in the fourth and six in the fifth to take a commanding 11-3 lead.
Smith doubled home Lindsie Knowles, who reached on an error, and the junior scored on Burton’s two-run homer in the fourth. An inning later, Crawford drilled a two-run shot to left before an RBI single from Smith and a two-run double by Burton. Courtney Buchman capped the big inning with a sacrifice fly to left.
That was more than enough for Merrill, who allowed just two earned runs on six hits. Southern Miss would avoid the run-rule with a score in the fifth, but Merrill kept the home squad off the board in the sixth and seventh to take the 11-4 victory.
The Roadrunners kept their offense rolling in game two with seven runs off Golden Eagles starter Jillian Johnson, who entered the weekend with a conference-leading 0.46 ERA.
Crawford gave UTSA a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with a three-run shot to left that came after walks to Burton and Buchman. The Roadrunners extended their lead to 4-0 in the second on Madison Kinley’s solo shot.
The Golden Eagles sliced the lead in half with a run in the third and fourth, but Low blasted a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to push the advantage to 7-2.
Freeze allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh, but the junior shut the door and closed out the 7-3 win. The Splendora, Texas, native surrendered three runs on seven hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
UTSA will to sweep the three-game series when the teams close the set at 1 p.m. on Sunday.