SAN ANTONIO — UTSA totaled 14 runs on 25 hits, while its pitching staff limited UAB to just three runs en route to a doubleheader sweep of the Blazers by scores of 6-3 and 8-0 on Friday at Roadrunner Field.
Lindsey Stewart went 5-for-8 (.625) and Angelica Niño went 4-for-6 (.667) with three runs, a double and an RBI to help lead the Roadrunners (11-16, 2-3 C-USA), who got at least two hits from every player that had more than one at-bat during the doubleheader. Rylee Rodriguez and Randee Crawford each homered to back the pitching staff, which got a one-hit shutout from Nicole Merrill in game two.
In the opener, Randee Crawford recorded a pair of hits, including her fourth homer of the season, and a pair of RBIs as the Roadrunners scored a 6-3 win over the Blazers (9-17, 2-3 C-USA).
UTSA capitalized on a UAB error to put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. With two outs, Rodriguez was hit by a pitch and Crawford lofted a fly ball to right field that was dropped. Rodriguez came all the way around to score and Crawford would touch home when Kaley Pyles singled to left-center field.
The Blazers cut the lead in half on Analyse Petree's solo homer in the top of the second, but UTSA got that run back in the bottom of the frame when Celeste Loughman singled to plate Niño, who also had a hit in the inning, for a 3-1 lead. An inning later, Crawford's solo shot to left extended the lead to 4-1.
UAB cut the deficit to 4-3 with a two run homer off the bat of Joanna Fallen in the fifth. However, the Roadrunners tacked on two insurance runs of their own in the sixth before Lizzy Fox polished off the victory by retiring the side in order in the top of the seventh. UTSA's runs in the sixth came on a bases-loaded walk to Rodriguez after she just missed a grand slam with a long foul ball down the left-field line and Crawford's single up the middle.
Fox picked up her eighth victory of the season as she went the distance and allowed three runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout.
In the second game of the day, Merrill tossed six shutout innings and allowed just one hit, while the offense came alive late to earn an 8-0 run-rule victory.
Once again, the Roadrunners wasted no time in giving their pitcher the lead as Rodriguez blasted a homer to center field in the bottom of the first. The solo shot was her team-leading seventh of the season and her second during Conference USA play.
UTSA added a run on an Erica Sanchez RBI hit in the second, while Taylor Oberg and Niño each doubled in the fourth to push the advantage to 3-0.
That was plenty for Merrill, who yielded the Blazers' only hit of the contest in the top of the second. The senior retired eight consecutive batters at one point and got out of a jam in the top of the sixth to hold UTSA's 3-0 lead.
The Roadrunners then ended the game with a five-spot in the bottom of the inning for the 8-0 win. All five runs came with two outs, starting with Stewart's run-scoring single to left. Loughman followed with an RBI hit and two runners came around to score on a pair of UAB errors to make it 7-0. Bailee Baldwin ended the contest when she hit a hard liner for a single off Blazers reliever Megan Smith.
The victory gave Merrill her third win of the campaign and the sixth shutout of her career.
UTSA and UAB will close the series at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, with a single game at Roadrunner Field.
