SAN ANTONIO – Marena Estell homered for the team-leading 12th time and earned the win with six one-run innings in the circle, and Erykah Guerrero added a homer to help lead UTSA softball to a 5-3 win over Southern Miss, on a perfect Friday night at Roadrunner Field.
UTSA (15-24, 8-7 Conference USA) won its third consecutive league game, using the sterling performance from Estell, as the Roadrunners scored five runs on nine hits. UTSA opened the scoring with four straight, including the homer from Guerrero in the second and a three-run third. Estell added a run with her blast in the fifth and UTSA was able to secure the win despite allowing two in the seventh.
The Roadrunners started Estell (5-8), who earned the win with six innings, allowing one run on seven hits and three walks, striking out five. Jamie Gilbert worked the seventh to secure the win.
Kat Ibarra, Camryn Robillard, Riley Grunberg, Lauren Coerver, Kaitlyn Morado, Estell and Guerrero each had hits, with Grunberg driving in a pair. Ciarra Mata had a 2-for-3 game, scoring a run.
Southern Miss (26-17, 6-10 C-USA) starter Morgan Leinstock (17-7) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in three innings. Paige Kilgore worked three innings, allowing four hits and one run, walking one and striking out two.
The series resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m. on CUSA TV.
Guerrero opened the scoring with a two-out bomb in the second inning, sending her third homer of the year out to right-centerfield.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Roadrunners stretched the lead to 4-0. Mata led off with one-hop single into leftfield and Ibarra followed with a single into right and Robillard loaded the bases with a single through the left side. Grunberg then cashed in two with a single through the left side and after a productive out from Estell, Dear forced home Robillard with an RBI groundout.
Scout Jennings led off with her third homer of the year in the top of the fourth inning, cutting the lead to 4-1.
Estell got the run back, bouncing a no-doubt homer off the scoreboard in left-centerfield in the fifth inning, marking her team-leading 12th homer of the year.
ESTELL! Marena goes oppo-taco with her team-leading 12th homer of the year, bouncing it off the scoreboard in left-centerfield to stretch the lead to 5-1. #BirdsUp 🤙 pic.twitter.com/S0SYu2BrTR
— UTSA Softball (@UTSASoftball) April 23, 2022
Alyssa Davis cut the lead to 5-3 with a two-run homer out to leftfield in the seventh, her seventh blast of the year.
- UTSA -