SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA softball team won both its games on Day One of the 2026 Roadrunner Classic, first taking down UMass Lowell, 4-3, before walking it off, 4-3, in an extra-innings comeback win over Northern Colorado.
The Roadrunners (5-6) started off the day with a victory over the Riverhawks (2-5) as freshman Arlette Hernandez (4-1) picked up the win and Olivia DeCitise (1-3) was pegged with the loss. Hernandez tossed the final four innings of the contest, scattering two hits and fanning eight.
A freshman Brookelynn Meador home run in the bottom of the sixth made the difference, with senior Madison Hornback also going yard, and redshirt sophomore Makayla Madrid posted multiple RBIs.
UTSA struck first, as freshman Demiree Stafford walked, sophomore Sabrina Wick singled and junior Samantha Mundine worked a base-hit to put ducks on the pond with one out. From there, Madrid was issued a walk for a 1-0 lead, and UMass Lowell found consecutive outs to strand three.
Hornback homered in the second, doubling the ‘Runners total, but the Riverhawks got one in the third and a crooked number in the fourth delivered them a 3-2 edge.
From there, Madrid knocked in Stafford in the fifth, and Meador’s solo shot in the sixth propelled the squad to a 4-3 win.
In game two, freshman Aubrey Flores (1-0) picked up her first collegiate win, while Aiyana Cordero (0-1) was tagged with the loss for the Bears (5-7) in the extra-innings affair.
Junior Taryn Madlock walked it off, going 2-for-4, with Hornback also recording multiple hits. Sophomore Skylar Rucker and Stafford each issued RBIs in the effort.
UNC took an early 2-0 lead after scoring a run in the first and another in the second.
The Bears threatened in the fifth, as a Roadrunner miscue was followed by a single and a hit batter that loaded the bases with no outs. A seven-pitch walk increased their advantage to three, but two redshirt junior Madison Collins strikeouts bookended a fielder’s choice to limit the damage.
With their backs against the wall, UTSA sparked a rally as Meador was issued a free pass, and Hornback singled before Meador scored on a Bear error. From there, Rucker doubled to plate Hornback and scored herself on a Stafford base-knock that saw a 3-3 tie and forced extra innings.
Flores stranded two in the top of the eighth, and Mundine opened the bottom half with a single up the middle. Madrid was walked, and after 12 pitches, Madlock worked a full count before smoking one into right-center, plating Mundine for a 4-3 walk-off victory.
UTSA will be back in action on Saturday, first facing Stephen F. Austin at 1 p.m., before moving into seeded play afterward. The No. 1 and No. 4 seeds of the tournament will face each other at 3:30 p.m., and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds will battle at 6 p.m.
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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