SAN ANTONIO – In a see-saw competition that hinged on the long ball, UAB (23-21, 10-6 C-USA) built up just enough momentum in the middle innings to outlast UTSA (8-33, 4-12 C-USA) in Friday's series opener at Roadrunner Field. After building up a two-run lead, the Blazers were able to hold off the seventh-inning UTSA rally, leaving the tying run on second base to preserve the 4-3 UAB win.
In the front half of Friday night's Conference USA competition, all the energy was going UTSA's way. Sparking the Roadrunners from the bottom of the first, junior shortstop Kat Ibarra made her lone hit of the night a statement, taking the fourth pitch she saw from Leigha Kirby deep beyond the left center fence, leading off the game with her second home run of the season – 13th of her career.
Nailing nearly the same spot on the outfield netting, freshman outfielder Lilly Hood belted her fifth dinger of the season to left center for a 2-0 UTSA advantage.
In the meantime, Marena Estell was getting it done in the circle and leading the defense through the first three frames, maintaining the pitching efficiency UTSA has employed in each of the previous four games. However, the fourth inning opened the door for the Blazers, as Olivia Valbak led off with a double and Allyson Smith reached as a hit batter, setting up Lindsey Smith for a three-run homer nearly over the left center netting – taking the 3-2 lead.
The Blazers added a consequential insurance run in the fourth frame, as back-to-back walks set the opportunity for Sierra Frazier's RBI single to grow the lead to 4-2.
Defensively, the Roadrunners did the work to make a run at the win down the stretch, blanking UAB in both the sixth and seventh innings, drawing four outs by air, and another key out as Erykah Guerrero and Ibarra caught a would-be thief in the seventh.
Trailing by two runs into the final frame, Guerrero opened up with a full count double off the wall in outer right field. Senior left fielder Ciarra Mata followed with a stand-up RBI double smacked down the right center alleyway to slice the deficit to a single run with no outs, as pinch runner Emily Johnson crossed the dish. However, UAB's bullpen call for Caitlin Russell proved to be just what the Blazers needed. Although the Roadrunners battled, drawing 19 pitches on three batters, Russell was able to put the requisite three UTSA batters away in order to uphold the 4-3 UAB win and her second save.
Kirby (5-7) earned the win on 6.0 innings in the circle for UAB, allowing seven hits, three runs and striking out two. For UTSA, Estell (3-9) took the loss on 4.0 innings of work, giving three runs on four hits.
At the plate, UTSA outhit the Blazers 7-3, with Mata going 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the way in her third multi-hit game of the year.
Pushed into a doubleheader to work around Sunday's projected severe weather, UTSA and UAB will return to action for two games on Saturday at Roadrunner Field. First pitch is still set for 1:00 p.m. as the Roadrunners host their annual Play For Hope Game in remembrance of late former pitcher Hope Ortiz and to raise awareness for Leukemia and Lymphoma.
-UTSA-
