SAN MARCOS, Texas – The UTSA softball team (3-12) fell in a pair of hard-fought contests on Saturday at the TXST Classic, losing a 3-2 heartbreaker in the final frame against Kansas (8-5) and coming up short in a comeback against Colorado State (9-5), 6-4, at Bobcat Softball Stadium.
Game one: Kansas
After jumping out to an early advantage, the Roadrunners dropped a razor-thin, one-run game decision, as the Jayhawks rallied late to tie the game and collected the crucial seventh-inning score to walk off UTSA, 3-2.
Taylor Jensen collected her third home run of the season in the top of the first, putting the Roadrunners ahead for the first half of the game. Directly following a Marena Estell single, Jensen squared the first pitch she saw beyond the left center fence for a 2-0 lead.
Defensively, the Roadrunners stood their ground firmly for the next four innings. After allowing the first two batters aboard, pitcher Reagan Smith led UTSA in retiring the next 11 batters before a fourth-inning walk broke up the streak. That's where KU's offense started to get a foothold.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Jayhawks garnered a pair of baserunners and capitalized with a Shayna Espy single, allowing one runner to cross on a UTSA infield error. The error also placed a runner at third, as Haleigh Harper went on to score on Presley Limbaugh's sacrifice fly to tie the score at 2-2.
KU starter Katie Brooks and reliever Addison Purvis teamed up to close out the UTSA offense in the final two frames. The Jayhawks recorded a leadoff walk, while a single and another walk loaded the bases, setting up Limbaugh for another RBI, as her bloop single to shallow left field brought in Emma Tatum and walked-off the Roadrunners, 3-2.
With the hit totals basically even, Jensen led the way for UTSA by batting 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run. Estell and Camryn Robillard also logged hits. Unfortunately, Kat Ibarra saw her 19-game reached base streak come to a close.
Smith (0-4) tossed 6.1 innings, allowing one earned run. Claiming the win, Purvis (2-0) tossed the final inning to set up the win, striking out two Roadrunners.
Game two: Colorado State
For the third consecutive game and fourth time in the last six games, UTSA put the first score on the board. However, the Roadrunners couldn't maintain the upper hand after a game-changing four Colorado State runs in the third propelled the Rams to a 6-4 win.
UTSA put up first-inning runs for the seventh time this year, as Marena Estell capitalized on an Ibarra leadoff walk with an RBI single to left field, forcing a pitching change just three batters in. After Robillard walked to load up the bases, Erykah Guerrero took a free pass for her 10th RBI of the year. Estell and Guerrero share the team RBI lead with today's results locked in.
Through the first two frames, starter Jamie Gilbert sat the Rams down in order. Formerly the starting pitcher, Jetta Nannen opened the third and the Colorado State rally with a left center double. Up next, Jordan West logged an RBI single to put the Rams on the board. After a full count walk loaded the bases, Matsubara's infield RBI single tied the score briefly, before Hailey Smith and Danielle Serna added back-to-back scores for a 4-2 CSU lead.
In the home half, Emily Johnson trimmed off one run on an RBI walk, but the Roadrunners were held without a run through the fourth and fifth.
In the meantime, the Rams added insurance runs on a Smith sacrifice fly and a Brooke Bohlender RBI single to go up 6-3.
Ibarra led off the sixth with her first home run of the year to trim the deficit to two runs, but Serna kept UTSA at bay long enough to keep the Roadrunners from advancing further.
Going 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run, Ibarra scored twice and kicked off a new reached base streak. Estell went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Gilbert (1-3) went 3.1 innings in the loss, before handing off to Estell for the final 3.2 frames. Estell registered three strikeouts and the pair walked only one batter apiece.
The final day of the TXST Classic is slated for Sunday and the Roadrunners have the early game at 10:00 a.m., with an opportunity to take another crack at Colorado State in their final outing at the Bobcat Softball Stadium.
-UTSA-
