SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA softball team (19-27, 7-14 C-USA) welcomes the University of Incarnate Word for a crosstown showdown at Roadrunner Field on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for April 25, but was postponed due to inclement weather
Tuesday's contest is the second meeting between the two teams this year and the 25th matchup all-time between the Roadrunners and the Cardinals. UTSA leads the all-time series, 18-6, but the Cardinals claimed the last meeting 4-3, April 11.
Over the weekend the Roadrunners went 1-2 against UAB in their last road conference series of the regular season. UTSA claimed the opening game with a 3-0 shutout, but fell to the Blazers 1-0 and 10-4 in the last two games.
Highlighting UTSA's effort against UAB were four Roadrunner home runs. Junior Candice Hadd led the team with a pair of home runs while fellow junior Bailee Baldwin and freshman Ashlynn Walls each hammered a long ball against UAB.
Overall, Baldwin paces the UTSA roster with a conference leading 18 home runs to rank fourth in the NCAA. With 18 long balls, the junior is currently tied with former Roadrunner Jessica Rogers and head coach Michelle Cheatham for the seventh most home runs in a single season in UTSA program history. Baldwin is five round-trippers away from tying Rogers, who also holds the top single-season record with her 23 home runs in 2005.
Entering this week, the Roadrunners are hitting .234 as a team. Baldwin leads the way with a .348 batting average, 48 hits, 41 RBI and 39 runs. Walls and sophomore Celeste Loughman follow with .309 and .303 averages, respectively, while Loughman owns a team-best 13 stolen bases.
The UTSA pitching staff owns a 3.26 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .234 batting average.
UIW is coming off a 1-2 series against Lamar over the weekend. Traveling to Beaumont, Texas, the Cardinals were shutout in the first two games, 6-0 and 10-0, before claiming a 5-3 victory in the series finale.
Owning a 13-30 overall record, the Cardinals are guided by a .266 batting average and 11 runs from Marcela Lopez and 30 hits and 17 RBI from Hope Sobolewski.
UIW's four-member pitching staff is directed by Brenna Hernandez (4-13), who owns a 4.71 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 18 games.
