SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA softball team will close out an eight-game home stand this weekend when it hosts FIU in a Conference USA series at Roadrunner Field. First pitch in a Saturday doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. followed by a single game at the same time the following afternoon.
The Roadrunners (14-23) will be looking to bounce back from Tuesday's 5-3 setback in nine innings to Houston Baptist. UTSA took two of three games from UTEP last weekend to improve to 4-8 in the league, which ties them with the Miners and Southern Miss for fourth in the West Division.
A trio of freshmen continues to lead a potent UTSA offense that is hitting .312 as a team, which ranks second in C-USA. Lindsey Stewart tops the chart with a .403 batting average, 22 runs scored and 14 stolen bases, while Celeste Loughman is hitting .385 with five doubles, 22 runs and 13 swipes. Rylee Rodriguez owns the best power numbers with 11 doubles, eight home runs, 34 RBIs and a .600 slugging percentage to go along with a .308 batting average.
In the circle, Nicole Merrill owns a team-best 4.15 earned-run average and 46 strikeouts, while Lizzy Fox leads the squad with nine wins and 28 appearances (17 starts).
The Panthers are 31-8 overall and tied for second in the C-USA East at 7-2. FIU saw a 17-game win streak snapped by Florida Atlantic in the second of a three-game series last weekend in Boca Raton, and it eventually dropped two of the three contests to the Owls.
FIU boasts the league's top pitching staff with a 1.62 ERA and 245 strikeouts. Abby Summers is 9-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 59 Ks, Megan Kugelmann is 11-2 with a 1.75 ERA and 44 strikeouts, while Shannon Saile is 10-6 with a 1.82 ERA and a team-best 137 punchouts.
Jackie Schoff leads the offense with a .455 average, 45 hits, 37 runs and 20 stolen bases. Steph Texeira is batting .385 with six doubles, nine home runs and 34 RBIs.
The Roadrunners and the Panthers have met just three times previously in a 2014 league series that FIU won, 2-1, in Miami.
