SAN ANTONIO — A walk-off double for freshman Brookelynn Meador propelled UTSA past Charlotte, 5-4, in a nine-inning American Conference series opener on Friday at Roadrunner Field.
The Roadrunners (23-27, 11-11 American) outlasted the 49ers (26-24, 10-12 American) as freshman Arlette Hernandez twirled all nine innings, throwing 156 pitches, allowing just two earned runs, and fanning four.
At the plate, sophomore Skylar Rucker and junior Taryn Madlock went yard, with Rucker also working a trio of walks. Additionally, freshman Demiree Stafford and sophomore Sabrina Wick joined Meador, Rucker, and Madlock in posting RBIs.
UTSA got on the board in the bottom of the second, with Reyes singling before charging home on a base knock by Stafford. Wick them plated Stafford with a hard hit ball through the right side for a 2-0 Roadrunner lead.
Charlotte responded with three runs in the top of the third, with two coming via an RBI single and another on a passed ball. They added one more following a miscue in the third, but a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the sixth for Rucker and Madlock knotted the contest, 4-4.
Neither team could score a run in the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.
A plunked batter and a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position with one out for the 49ers in the eighth, but Hernandez twirled a strikeout, and Meador caught a baserunner stealing to escape the inning unscathed.
Charlotte again threatened in the ninth after UTSA was unable to score a run, loading up the bases with two outs, but Hernandez again persevered, inducing a flyout to keep things tied up.
Wick singled to start the home half and swiped second, ahead of the Meador walk-off double that secured the 5-4 extra-inning victory.
UTSA and Charlotte will meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m., ahead of a Senior Day series finale on Sunday at noon.
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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