Sam Houston Rebounds With Double-Header Sweep Over UTSA
By Cheval John
The Sam Houston State softball team took advantage of their spring break from Southland Conference play with a double-header sweep of the University of Texas-San Antonio by the scores of 7-3 and 4-3 at the Bearkat Softball Complex in Huntsville, Texas.
The capacity crowd of 337 saw tremendous pitching from the Bearkats (10-10 overall, 1-2 SLC play).
Designated player Hilary Adams went a combined 3 for 5 with three RBIs.
First baseman Sarah Allison had a great day as well with a 2 for 5 performance and four RBIs.
Reliever Tayler Atkinson pitched 2/3 innings in the first game and got her second win of the season.
Atkinson came in relief of starting pitcher, Shelby Lancaster, who went 5 1/3 innings with the no-decision.
Sam Houston scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 2-0 lead.
Second baseman Alyssa Coggins and right fielder Cecelia Castillo had back-to-back singles with one out.
The next batter, Adams, hit a bloop single that scored Coggins from second for the 1-0 lead.
Castillo scored the second run on a suicide squeeze play by Tori Koerselman.
Tiffany Castillo’s infield RBI single capped the inning.
UTSA (11-14) struck swiftly with three runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 3.
Designated player Jori Fox started it with a two run jack to left field.
Catcher Tess Soetje followed with a single and stole second base.
She advanced to third on a wild pitch by Atkinson and scored the tying run an a single by pinch hitter Randee Crawford.
The Bearkats responded with a four run explosion in the bottom of the 6th to make it 7-3.
With runners on first and second courtesy of back-to-back singles by Coggins and Cecelia Castillo, Dani Allen, who pinched ran for Adams earlier, hit a single up the middle that scored Coggins from second.
After Koerselman hit a single that loaded the bases, Tiffany Castillo followed with an RBI ground out that scored her sister, Cecelia, from third base.
The next batter, Allison hit a two run single that capped the four inning.
“I was just thinking of hitting the ball and I just did my job,” Allen said of the go-ahead single.
It took a walk-off, bunt single by Adams to help the Bearkats defeat the Roadrunners 4-3 to secure the double-header sweep.
Both teams left eight runners on base.
However, it hurt the Roadrunners even more as they had an opportunity in the seventh inning to take their first lead of the game.
Center fielder Jade Smith and first baseman Megan Low, who had a solo home run in the game, opened the inning with back-to-back singles.
Both runners advanced to second and third, respectively, on a ground out by Fox.
Baros, who came in relief of starting pitcher, Meme Quinn and got her fourth win of the season, had other ideas as she forced two consecutive ground outs to end the threat.
Sam Houston saw their opportunity and took advantage of it in the bottom of the seventh inning when Coggins reached first on an error by short stop Courtney Buchman.
A fielder’s choice play allowed short stop Tayler Gray to reach first while Coggins advanced to second base.
Cecelia Castillo’s ground out to first put both Gray and Coggins into scoring position at second and third, respectively.
Coggins was racing towards home plate when Adams laid down the bunt that allowed her to score the winning run easily.
Sam Houston travels to San Marcos to face Texas State later today at 2 p.m before resuming conference play against Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, LA in a three-game series beginning on Saturday.
