SAN ANTONIO — UTSA opened play in the Birds Up Bash with a 4-0 blanking of North Dakota before dropping a 5-3 heartbreaker late to New Mexico State in the nightcap on Friday, the opening day of the Birds Up Bash, at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners rode the arms of Ava Eldridge and Madison Collins in the first game, as the pair combined for a two-hit shutout over the Fighting Hawks (9-8). Collins drew the start and worked two frames, surrendering only two hits. Eldridge finished it out by tossing five no-hit innings with a strikeout.
At the plate, Katia Reyes went 2 for 3, launching her first home run of the season in the fourth to lift UTSA to a 2-0 advantage. She then drove in Taryn Madlock with a double to the gap in right center in the sixth to stretch the lead to 3-0.
The Roadrunners broke through first in the third as Sabrina Wick reached on a bunt single and later stole third base before coming home with the first run of the day when the catcher’s throw got away from the third baseman.
UTSA tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth on Reyes’ RBI double followed by a base hit to right field by Madison Hornback that pushed home Reyes and made it 4-0.
That was more than enough cushion for Eldridge, who induced three fly-ball outs in the top of the seventh to close the door on her first win of the season.
The Roadrunners racked up 10 total hits against UND with Wick and Hornback joining Reyes with two hits apiece.
Unity Nelson (3-3) went the distance for the Fighting Hawks, allowing three earned runs and striking out three in six innings of work.
In game two, New Mexico State took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a couple of extra-base hits. Devin Elam doubled to deep center field with two outs and scored on a triple just inside the line in right field by Lauren Garcia.
UTSA loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but Aggies pitcher Faith Aragon stranded a pair of Roadrunners after a caught stealing at home. The left-hander then put together four more scoreless frames that included 10 of her 13 strikeouts on the night.
NMSU added one run in both the fourth and fifth innings to push the lead to 3-0. Taylor Baca drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth to force in a run and Elam plated Kendal Lunar on a single to center in the fifth.
The Roadrunners finally broke through to touch up Aragon for three runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth. Demiree Stafford and Wick started the panel with back-to-back base hits and Stafford then scored on a double off the fence in center by Samantha Mundine to get the home side on the board. Pinch-hitter Madison Lenton drove in the second run on a groundout that plated Wick from third base, while Makayla Madrid came up with a clutch two-out single off the fence down the right-field line to push across Mundine and knot the score at 3-3.
The Aggies (8-11) answered in the top of the seventh as Elam singled and scored on a two-out home run to left by Johnna Aragon.
Faith Aragon then worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to seal the win for the visitors. The left-hander allowed three earned runs on five hits and struck out 13 against three walks to run her record to 5-4.
Jett Harrell (0-1) took the loss in relief for UTSA (7-10), allowing just the two earned runs and a pair of hits while fanning three in two innings.
The Roadrunners have two games slated for Saturday, facing New Mexico State at 4:30 p.m. and Saint Francis at 7 p.m.
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