SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA softball team ended its season on a winning note with a doubleheader sweep of Texas Tech by scores of 3-2 (9 innings) and 6-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
Celeste Loughman's walk-off single scored Taylor Oberg with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the opener to hand head coach Michelle Cheatham her 100th career win, while the Roadrunners (21-32) pounded three home runs as part of a 10-hit output in the nightcap.
Meanwhile, Nicole Merrill tossed a complete game in her final appearance as a Roadrunner in the second game. The senior from Round Rock struck out four and allowed three runs on four hits in picking up her seventh win of the season.
In the first game, the Red Raiders (17-31) rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force extra innings before eventually falling to UTSA in nine.
The Roadrunners built a 2-0 advantage through four frames. Randee Crawford slugged a solo home run to left field to lead off the second inning and Angelica Nino singled home Erica Sanchez with the bases loaded in the fourth to provide a two-run advantage.
The visitors cut the deficit in half on a solo home run to right field by Devon Thomey in the next panel.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Kiana O'Neal drilled a 1-1 pitch over the fence in center to knot the score at 2-2.
After a scoreless eighth, Oberg got things started for the Roadrunners with a leadoff single up the middle in the ninth. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nino, who led UTSA with two hits in the game, and to third on a groundout off the bat of Lindsey Stewart. Loughman, who made the most of her return from missing the last six games due to an injury, lined a 2-2 pitch into center field to win it.
UTSA starting pitcher Chelsea Parker fanned eight batters and allowed just one run in five innings of work in her last appearance at Roadrunner Field. Lizzy Fox (14-17) earned the win in relief, allowing just one run on one hit in four innings.
Kierra Miles led off the nightcap with a solo home run over the fence in left to give Texas Tech an early lead.
UTSA answered in the home half of the first when Bailee Baldwin launched her team-leading 11th home run of the season, a solo shot to center, to tie the score at 1-1.
Loughman drilled her third round tripper of her freshman campaign in the third, a line-drive shot that just cleared the fence in right and also plated Nino, who singled up the middle to start the frame.
UTSA made it 4-1 in the fifth when Nino reached on a bunt single and later scored on a base hit up the middle by Baldwin.
The Red Raiders cut the deficit to one on a two-run homer to right by Jessica Hartwell in the fifth, but the Roadrunners responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half on a solo home run by Sanchez and a bases-loaded walk to Baldwin to provide the final margin.
Baldwin, Loughman, Nino and Sanchez had two hits apiece to lead the offense, while Merrill (7-10) picked up the win.
