SAN ANTONIO – Senior Lizzy Fox delivered her 200th career strikeout as she fanned four batters in Saturday's doubleheader, but the Roadrunners fell 3-1 in the first game and 10-8 in the second game against Florida Atlantic at Roadrunner Field.
The squads will close the three-game series with a finale on Sunday's Senior Day. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Roadrunner Field with Fox and fellow senior Erica Sanchez set to be honored in a senior ceremony following the final out on Sunday. As part of the Senior Day festivities, the fathers of each senior will throw out the first pitch.
Earning her 24th start of the 2018 season, Fox tossed four strikeouts in 10 innings of work for the Roadrunners. The right-handed hurler now stands at 203 career strikeouts.
At the plate, UTSA produced 11 hits fueled by a 3-for-7 appearance by freshman Victoria Villarreal, while the Owls knocked in 23 hits.
Game 1: FAU 3, UTSA 1
FAU's Emily Lochten started off the action with a homerun over the center field wall with the Owl's first at bat. A single from the Owls' Tatum Buckley saw Madisyn Palmer cross home plate to open the game in FAU's favor, 2-0.
The Owls maintained a 2-0 lead until the bottom of the third when junior Bailee Baldwin tallied her 42nd RBI of the season. With one out, Sanchez doubled to center field and scored off Baldwin's groundout to second base.
The score held at 2-1 until FAU drove in a third run off two hits in the top of the sixth. UTSA retired in order the rest of the way for a 3-1 FAU victory.
Game 2: FAU 10, UTSA 8 (8 innings)
A rocket shot from Villarreal gave UTSA a strong start to the first inning and allowed sophomore Celeste Loughman and Baldwin to open up the score sheet of the second game 2-0.
FAU answered with a run in the top of the second when Mia Olson's dished out a center field home run, bringing the Owls within one.
UTSA cushioned its leads in the bottom of the second with a three-run home run over the center field fence from Loughman.
As the Roadrunners led 5-1 just after two frames, FAU used six singles to plate four runs and tie the score, 5-5, in the top of the third.
The Owls knocked out back-to-back home runs in the fourth and fifth innings to break the tie and claim a 7-5 advantage.
Relentless, the Roadrunners answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score, 7-7. A single from Villarreal gave Baldwin just enough time to reach home, while an RBI sacrifice fly out from freshman Celeste Borza drove in UTSA's seventh run of the game.
In the top of the sixth, FAU utilized a pair of sacrifice bunts to reclaim the lead at 8-7.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh with FAU leading 8-7 and two outs on the board, freshman Ashlynn Walls pounded out her fifth long ball of the season, tying the game, 8-8, and sending the game into extra innings.
However, the extra frames would fall in favor of the Owls as FAU added two more runs in the top of the eighth and retired the Roadrunners in order in the bottom of the frame.
