BEAUMONT — Randee Crawford's RBI single in the top of the seventh inning helped lift the UTSA softball team to a 6-5 comeback victory against Lamar on Tuesday evening at the LU Softball Complex.
With the game knotted at five and runners on first and second base with nobody out, Crawford sent a 1-0 pitch through the right side of the infield to plate Celeste Loughman with the go-ahead run for the Roadrunners (12-17).
The Cardinals (13-14) held a 5-4 lead entering the final frame, but Lindsey Stewart led off with an infield single and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position. Loughman then slapped a base hit to the shortstop to put the winning run on base. Rylee Rodriguez singled through the left side of the infield to push Stewart home and tie the contest, setting the stage for Crawford.
Lizzy Fox, who entered the game in relief in the sixth, induced a pair of fly balls to start the bottom of the seventh before Sable Hankins' base hit to center. However, Fox ended the threat and the game with a four-pitch strikeout of Corina Thornton.
UTSA quickly built a 3-0 lead in its first at-bat. Stewart singled down the left field line and Loughman followed with an infield hit to set up Rodriguez for her team-leading eighth home run of the season, a three-run blast to left field.
The Cardinals pecked away at the Roadrunners with a run in the bottom of the first and two more in the third on an RBI-triple by Brynn Baca and a sacrifice fly by Kelly Meeuwsen.
Loughman reached on a one-out bunt single in the fifth, advanced to second on a Rodriguez base knock and later came home after a fly ball to right field by Crawford and a throwing error by the Lamar third baseman.
Lamar took its first lead in the bottom of the frame. Baca drew a leadoff walk, moved all the way to third on a base hit by Meeuwsen and scored on an infield single by Shelby Henderson. Hankins then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to push Meeuwsen home and give the home team a 5-4 advantage that would last until the seventh.
Loughman and Rodriguez led UTSA with three hits apiece, while Rodriguez had a team-high four RBIs.
Fox earned the win with one and two-thirds innings of scoreless one-hit relief to run her record to 9-11.
Ciara Luna (3-8) took the loss for the Cardinals, giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in six-plus frames of work.
The Roadrunners will return to Conference USA play this weekend with a three-game series at North Texas from March 25-26.
