SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA softball team will kick-start the 5th annual Boerner Invitational on Friday, as the squad is set to face four opponents across five games at Allan Saxe Field in Arlington, Texas
The Roadrunners (4-12, 0-0 The American) went 2-4 at last week's Texas A&M Invitational, with highlights including a pair of wins over St. Thomas (Minn.) as well as an extra innings showdown against No. 17 Texas A&M.
Junior Jaylen Prichard had a solid week for the 'Runners, hitting .333 across the contests. She recorded four hits, with an RBI, and dented the plate four times. Additionally, she worked six walks and stole a base for the Roadrunners. In the circle, freshman Zelinda Camacho delivered a solid performance to top the Tommies, twirling five innings and allowing only one hit with six strikeouts. On the week, she maintained a 3.00 ERA across three appearances, fanning 10 in the process.
As a team, UTSA ranks inside The American's top five, swiping 17 stolen bases on the season, and 46 walks drawn sits third. Individually, senior Taylor Jensen has caught five base runners stealing for the most in the AAC and the 12th-highest total across the NCAA. Also on the conference leaderboard, junior Camryn Robillard has mashed the fourth-most home runs on the season with four, and senior Jamie Gilbert has recorded 43 strikeouts, as 46.2 innings pitched slot her second.
UTSA will first take on UIW at 9 a.m. on Friday, with the Cardinals (9-1, 0-0 SLC) falling only to Campbell this season. UIW ranks second across the NCAA with a stellar 0.933 fielding percentage. Additionally, 0.80 double plays per game are third nationally.
Larissa Jacquez has been stellar in the circle, twirling 10 K/7, and represents one of five Cardinal hurlers who have tasted victory this season. Nine squad members maintain batting averages over .300, as Ryleigh Mata paced the team with a .417 AVG, and Jillian Gutierrez has logged 11 RBIs.
The 'Runners next meet the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (10-3, 0-0 SLC) on Friday at 11:30 a.m. before facing them once more Saturday at 2 p.m. TAMUCC boasts the ninth-most doubles in the country, smoking 2.08 per game, as Alina Jasso has smacked six on the season. Primrose Aholelei represents the NCAA's leader in strikeouts, fanning 71 on the season and posting six wins in the process.
The UT Arlington Mavericks (3-13, 0-0 WAC) have struggled early in the season, with wins coming at the hands of ULM, Southern, and DePaul. The 'Runners and Mavericks will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, with Lindsey Franklin pacing UTA with two home runs and 12 RBIs. Jessica Adams, Jade Moreno, and Abi Gutierrez have all worked wins in the circle for the Mavericks.
UTSA will close out the event on Sunday, with a 10 a.m. contest against Grambling State awaiting. The Tigers (7-5. 0-0 SWAC) are coming off back-to-back wins, as they took down Florida A&M and Alabama A&M as a part of last week's HBCU Celebration Classic.
Dacia Richard has recorded 3-1 wins on the season, while Erin Gibbs and Jordan Hodge join her in tasting victory across the campaign. Kamryn Broussard provides the bulk of the Tiger's offense, hitting .367 with six RBIs.
Keep up with UTSA Softball all season long on goutsa.com, and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSASB, X (Twitter) @UTSASoftball, and on Instagram @utsasoftball.
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