SAN ANTONIO — Celeste Loughman went 2-for-4 with five RBIs and Nicole Merrill tossed a complete game to lead UTSA to an 8-1 victory against UTEP in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field. The Miners then outlasted the Roadrunners, 7-6, in 10 innings in the nightcap.
Loughman had a double and her second home run of her freshman campaign to help spearhead a UTSA offense that pounded out 12 hits in the lid-lifter.
Randee Crawford had a pair of hits, including her sixth long ball of the season, while Angelica Nino and Lindsey Stewart also collected two hits apiece.
Meanwhile, Merrill scattered nine hits and allowed just one earned run in seven frames to run her record to 4-7 on the year.
After a scoreless first, Crawford led off the bottom of the second with her home run over the center-field fence. Bailee Balwdin then walked, stole and second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Kaley Pyles.
Taylor Oberg kept the inning alive with a base hit to center. Nino followed with her first hit of the day and later came home on Stewart's single through the left side of the infield to give the home team a three-run lead. Stewart then stole second and both runners came home on Loughman's double down the left-field line.
UTSA tacked on three runs in the fourth. Nino drew a leadoff walk and stole second. After a walk to Stewart, Loughman blasted her home run to right center to push the Roadrunners' advantage to 8-0.
UTEP avoided the run rule with a run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Taylor Sargent, but that is as close as the visitors would get.
In the second game, Baldwin, Loughman and Pyles all collected three hits each, but the Miners (9-24, 4-7) rallied from a 3-0 deficit for a 7-6 extra-inning victory.
The Roadrunners (13-22, 3-8) plated three runs in the second on the strength of two hits and a trio of UTEP errors, the last run coming home on Loughman's sac fly to center.
The Miners cut into the UTSA lead with a solo homer from Cortney Smith in the top of the fifth and then took a 4-3 advantage in the next inning behind an RBI single from Smith and a two-run base hit from Kiki Pepi.
The Roadrunners tied things up in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Pyles that plated Baldwin, who reached on a leadoff base knock to right center.
Neither team scored in the seventh, sending the contest to extras.
UTEP jumped ahead in the top of the eighth on a double by Sargent that scored Smith, who was hit by a pitch to start the inning.
UTSA tied the score on a base hit through the left side of the infield by Pyles that pushed home Erica Sanchez, who pinch ran for Baldwin after her double off the fence in right field.
Again, the Miners jumped ahead when Courtney Clayton homered to left in the top of the ninth.
Again, the Roadrunners answered with Crawford's sac fly to center that scored Stewart, who reached on a leadoff single up the middle.
UTEP led off the top of the 10th with another round-tripper, this time by Pepi. The visitors threatened to add to their lead with two more base hits, but UTSA got out of the jam trailing 7-6.
However, Miners starter Kaitlin Fifield finished off a 10-inning outing by retiring the Roadrunners in order in the bottom of the frame to pick up her first win of the season. She allowed six runs (four earned) on 14 hits to improve to 1-4.
The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
