BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The UTSA softball program officially opened up its American Athletic Conference season on Saturday, suffering a pair of setbacks at the hands of UAB. The 'Runners first fell 3-1 and later lost 8-3 at the hands of the Blazers at Mary Bowers Field.
The Roadrunners (7-17, 0-2 The American) couldn't beat the Blazers (11-11, 2-0 The American, as junior Sophie Campbell and sophomore Kylie Forney each drove in runs for UTSA.
Game One
The 'Runners lost the series opener 3-1 despite a complete game performance from senior Jamie Gilbert (2-6) that saw her fan four. Meanwhile, Leigha Kirby (4-5) earned the victory for UAB.
Junior Jaylen Prichard led off the top of the first with a single into right field, ahead of walks for senior Erykah Guerrero and Forney, loading up the bases with no outs. A fielder-choice ground ball followed, ahead of a deep fly ball by Campbell that plated Guerrero for a 1-0 UTSA lead. Sophomore Madi Hays was issued a free pass reloading the bases, but the Blazers limited the damage with a groundout concluding the frame.
Gilbert kept the Blazers off the scoreboard through the first three innings before a solo home run by UAB in the bottom of the fourth knotted up the contest.
The pitcher's duel raged on before UAB logged multiple singles en route to a crooked number in the sixth that saw a 3-1 Blazer advantage entering the final frame.
Hays kept the 'Runners in the fight, launching a double into right field, but she was unable to come around and score as UAB secured a 3-1 win in the series opener.
Game Two
UAB was victorious once more, taking game two 8-3, with senior Kenzie Schultz (0-7) picking up the loss and Olivia Valbalk (3-3) earning the win.
UTSA threatened in the top of the first, as Prichard worked a leadoff double before advancing to third on a wild pitch. From there, Forney was issued a free pass and swiped second. However, the threat did not come to pass as UAB worked its way out of the jam, stranding the pair in scoring position.
Consecutive walks opened the bottom of the inning, ahead of a double that gave the Blazers a 2-0 advantage. Freshman Iliana Saucedo entered and recorded a pop-out before a single allowed UAB to add another to their total. A base hit shortly after resulted in a four-run edge for UAB entering the second.
The Blazers pushed across another in the fourth, but UTSA got on the board in the fifth courtesy of a Forney three-run home run that saw Prichard and Hays dent the plate. With their lead cut to two, UAB responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and added another in the sixth to cement an 8-3 victory.
UTSA will face the Blazers once more, with a Sunday showdown set for noon at Mary Bowers Field.
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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