DENTON, Texas – The UTSA softball team (6-21, 2-3 C-USA) dropped the second game of the Conference USA series at North Texas (18-9, 4-1 C-USA) on Saturday afternoon at Lovelace Stadium. The Roadrunners traded scores with the Mean Green early, but North Texas used a pair of big innings to deal the Roadrunners a 15-3 loss and clinch the series.
Jumping right to work, the Roadrunners found their offensive footing right away thanks to junior shortstop Kat Ibarra, who reached second as the first inning's leadoff. Ibarra went on to score two batters later off Taylor Jensen's RBI single that split the fielders for the 1-0 advantage.
However, UTSA saw some pitching challenges in the home half, as the Mean Green chased off freshman Reagan Smith after a 45-pitch inning that produced six walks and allowed UNT to pull ahead, 4-1.
Kenzi Schultz came out of the bullpen and calmed things down on a first-pitch pop-up, then shut down UNT in her second frame, opening the door for a Roadrunners rally in the third. Sophomore third baseman Camryn Robillard made the most of a pair of runners in scoring position, drilling her fifth double of the year into the right center gap to score Lilly Hood and Marena Estell – slicing the UNT lead to a single run.
In the home half, the Mean Green not only countered, but put the game away, racking up four hits and using three UTSA errors to advance the deficit by seven runs. A fourth-inning UNT grand slam extended the lead to 15-3 and forced an early finish to the series' second game.
At the plate, Ibarra went 2-for-2 with a walk, scoring once. Robillard was 1-for-2 with two RBI. For the second consecutive game with UNT, UTSA outhit the Mean Green, putting up six base hits on Saturday.
Skylar Savage (5-2) earned the win for North Texas, going the 4.0-inning distance with six hits and one walk allowed. Smith (3-8) took the loss on after exiting in the first.
The series finale between the Roadrunners and Mean Green is scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. first pitch on Sunday at Lovelace Stadium. Next week, UTSA will host Texas State in a midweek matchup (Wed., March 22), and will take in their C-USA bye weekend.
- UTSA -
