PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – The UTSA softball team split across the first day of action at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, first walking off Southern Illinois, 3-1, before falling 11-1 to Eastern Kentucky, via the run rule at Nancy Almaraz Stadium.
The Roadrunners (1-4) topped the Salukis (6-1) in game one, with freshman Arlette Hernandez (1-0) picking up her first collegiate win after tossing a complete game, with nine strikeouts and no earned runs. Classmate Brookelynn Meador stepped up in the bottom of the seventh and delivered a walk-off two-run home run to secure the UTSA victory.
UTSA struck first, as junior Samantha Mundine dropped a single, plating sophomore Sabrina Wick, who led off the bottom of the fourth with a double. The basepaths were quiet until the sixth, as SIU took advantage of a Roadrunner miscue to tie the contest.
In the bottom of the seventh, redshirt sophomore Makayla Madrid was plunked, bringing up Meador, who walked it off for the ‘Runners first win of the season.
In game two, sophomore Reagan Stoudt was pegged with the loss (0-2), while Tayteum Vigansky (1-0) earned the win for the Colonels (3-4).
EKU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second, and four more runs in the third had them in the driver's seat. A four-run fifth put the Colonels up 11-0, before UTSA scored its lone run in the bottom of the game on a senior Katia Reyes sac fly.
The ‘Runners will look to bounce back on Thursday, as they take on Southern Illinois again at 1 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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