SAN ANTONIO, Texas – HBU Softball came up short against non-conference foe UTSA, as they fell 8-7 Tuesday at Roadrunner Field.
The Huskies offense combined for a total of five home runs, which was one shy of the team game record. Junior shortstop
Demi Janak went 3-for-4 and set a single game record of three home runs and brought in four RBIs. Senior third baseman
Kassie James homered and walked, while sophomore catcher
Heidi Jaquez tripled, homered and drove in two. Junior first baseman
Brooke Bushman went 2-for-4 with a double and sophomore second baseman
Amber Lotz singled and scored for the Huskies (7-17).
Starting pitcher freshman
Elliott Estes (2-6) got the loss allowing four runs on five hits, four errors and two walks. Senior
Stephanie Buenrostro appeared in one innings and allowed one runs on two hits, one error, two walks and a strikeout, while freshman
Jessica Patak allowed three runs, on three hits, three errors and a walk.
UTSA (17-22) was led by centerfielder Bailee Baldwin, who went 2-for-4 with a double, home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Shortstop Ashlynn Walls went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk, three RBIs and a stolen base. Leftfielder Celeste Loughman singled, doubled and scored twice.
Starting pitcher Madison Nelson recorded her second save, as she allowed six runs on nine hits, six runs, six errors and a strikeout in 5.2 innings. Relief pitcher Michelle Iparraguirre (2-0) earned the win holding the Huskies to just one run on three hits, an error, a walk and a strikeout in 1.1 innings.
The Huskies opened scoring in the second inning with a lead-off home run by
Kassie James. Estes tossed a quick t bottom half inning to bring up the top of the second. With one out, sophomore right fielder
Sierra Humphrey singled up the middle. Janak followed with a home run to left center, 3-0.
The Roadrunners got on the board in the fourth, when third baseman Rylee Rodriguez walked and later reached home thanks to a Wallis home run to center, 3-2.
The Huskies answered back in the fifth with a couple home runs by Jaquez and Janak, 5-2.
Loughman led off the bottom of the fifth with a double to right field and quickly scored off of a Baldwin double to right center. Buenrostro entered the game for Estes and walked Rodriguez. With runners on first and second, Wallis singled to right field scoring Baldwin, 5-4.
With one out in the sixth inning, Lotz singled up the middle and then scored a batter later off of a triple down the right field line by Jaquez, 6-4.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Hannah Boring started things off with a homer to left field. Patak entered the game for Buenrostro. Loughman kept things going with a single to center and brought around to home with a home run to right center by Baldwin. One batter later, first baseman Victoria Villarreal hit a solo homer to push the Roadrunners to a two run lead going in to the seventh, 8-6.
Nelson came back in for Iparraguirre in the beginning of the seventh to help the Roadrunners to a victory, but couldn't stop Janak, as she hit her third home run over center. The Huskies began to get a rally going, when James reached first on an error and Bushman doubled to right center, but couldn't push any across. The Roadrunners kept the lead, 8-7.
The Huskies host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for their final home SLC series Friday, April 20 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Saturday, April 21 at 12 p.m. At the conclusion of the third game, the Huskies will honor their five seniors.
