SAN ANTONIO — Tess Soefje and Angelica Niño homered to back a strong start in the circle from Nicole Merrill as UTSA completed a series sweep of North Texas with a 5-1 win on Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners (9-16, 3-0 C-USA) opened Conference USA action with a three-game sweep for the second time in the last three seasons.
Merrill went the distance as she allowed just one run on five hits with five walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. Chelsea Thomas, like Soefje, aided the offense with a pair of hits to help UTSA break open a close game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.
For the third time in as many games this weekend, the Roadrunners got on the board first. This time, it was a no-doubt solo home run from Soefje, her fourth blast of the campaign, that staked the home squad to an early 1-0 advantage.
Merrill made the slim lead stand until the top of the sixth, when the Mean Green (13-9, 0-3 C-USA) tied the score on Bryana Wade’s bloop single to right field that scored Harley Perella.
Just as they did in game two of the set, the Roadrunners used a big bottom of the sixth to pull away and take control of the contest.
Thomas started the rally with a one-out double off the wall in left-center field and Bailee Baldwin put runners on the corners with a perfect bunt single. After Baldwin stole second, North Texas elected to intentionally walk Soefje.
Pinch hitter Zoe Bacon then plated the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to right. Niño extended the cushion to 5-1 when she took Jessica Elder’s third pitch of the at-bat and lined it off the right field foul pole for the first round-tripper of her career.
With the four-run lead, Merrill yielded a one-out walk but got a strikeout and grounder to close the contest and improve to 1-1 on the season.
UTSA will make its first road trip of C-USA action March 19-20 when it will travel to Charlotte, N.C., for a matchup with the 49ers (16-7, 0-3 C-USA).