DENTON — The UTSA softball team dropped a pair of one-run games, 6-5 and 1-0, to North Texas in Conference USA action on Saturday afternoon at Lovelace Stadium.
The Mean Green (16-13, 5-3 C-USA) used a walk-off single by Hanna Rebar in the bottom of the seventh inning to escape with a 6-5 victory in the lid-lifter.
The Roadrunners (12-19, 2-6) trailed 5-1 after five frames, but rallied to tie things up with a three-run sixth and another run in the top of the seventh.
Randee Crawford drew a one-out walk in the sixth and pinch-runner Madison Kinley moved to second on a single up the middle by Bailee Baldwin, her third hit of the contest. Kaley Pyles then drilled a base hit into left field to plate Kinley and pull UTSA to within 5-2.
Taylor Oberg lifted a fly ball into foul territory down the left-field line that turned into a sacrifice fly when Baldwin tagged and came home from third base.
Following a Hailey Garza single that moved Pyles to second, Angelica Nino doubled to push another run home and make it 5-4 before a strikeout ended the threat.
Crawford then provided seventh-inning drama for the second straight game. With two outs and the bases empty, the senior catcher, who had the game-winning RBI in the seventh of Tuesday's victory at Lamar, blasted her fifth home run of the season to left center to knot the score at five.
North Texas responded in the bottom of the frame.
Harley Perella led off with a base hit to center field, advanced to second on a sac bunt by Rhylie Makawe and moved to third on a groundout. Rebar then drilled an 0-1 pitch into left field to plate the game-winning run.
Jessica Elder (4-4) earned the win in relief for the Mean Green, allowing just Crawford's bomb in her only inning of work.
Chelsea Parker (0-2) took the loss for the Roadrunners, giving up just one run on three hits in three frames of relief.
North Texas built a 2-0 lead after a solo home run by Kelli Schkade in the first and an RBI-groundout by Rebar in the second.
UTSA got on the board in the third when Celeste Loughman singled to left to score Garza, who began the inning with a base hit up the middle.
North Texas built some cushion in the fourth with Lindsay Gregory's RBI single and run-scoring doubles from Lacey Gregory and Danielle Gregory. The three-run inning gave the home team a 5-1 advantage.
In game two, UTSA pounded out seven base hits and starting pitcher Nicole Merrill allowed just one, but North Texas pulled out a 1-0 victory to complete the doubleheader sweep.
Merrill (3-6) struck out three and allowed just one run and one hit in six innings in the hard-luck loss.
Rylee Rodriguez, Lindsey Stewart, Baldwin, Loughman, Nino, Pyles and Rodriguez each collected a single against North Texas starter Lauren Craine (4-4), who did not record a strikeout but also did not issue a walk in the complete-game shutout.
The Mean Green scored the only run of the game in the third.
Lindsay Gregory drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a double to left by Lacey Gregory. After a hit-by-pitch on Danielle Gregory, Perella's fielder's choice ground ball to second base forced an out but pushed across the eventual game-winning run.
The series finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
