HOUSTON — HCU rallied from a seven-run deficit to force extra innings, but University of the Incarnate Word struck for four in the 10th to sneak out of Husky Field with an 11-7 victory in the Southland series finale Saturday afternoon. The tough loss for the Huskies allowed the Cardinals to leave town winning two of three in the series.
The Huskies found themselves behind 7-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth. The Cardinals put two on the board quickly, getting a two-run homer to left field from Avalon Sanchez in the second inning. In the fourth, UIW cranked out six hits en route to a four-spot, an inning highlighted by RBI singles from Dariane Cram and Ryleigh Mata.
A sacriflce fly from pinch-hitter Abby Frank in the fifth pushed across the seventh run, and things looked bleak for the Huskies.
In the bottom of the frame, the HCU bats would finally start to get going. UIW starter Annie Gunther, the winner in game one of Friday's doubleheader, was lifted with the lead, and the Huskies got to reliever Samantha Portillo quickly.
Tabitha Burnett led off with a single, and
Breana Herrera reached on a fielders choice, with an error allowing Burnett to got to third.
Riley Martin followed with a solid single to left to score Burnett with HCU's first tally, breaking the ice for the Huskies.
AB Garcia would then line into a double play that caught Herrera off second.
Avery Drake's bunt single pushed Garcia to second and Hailey Savage then launched a three-run moonshot to right, pulling HCU to within three, 7-4.
The Huskies weren't finished just yet. In the sixth,
Autumn Sydlik greeted reliever Madison Floyd with a leadoff single. One out later, Burnett would single again, and with two outs, Martin walked to load the bases.
Garcia would deposit a ball into gap in left-center that trickled between the two outfielders and all the way to the wall for a bases-clearing triple, tying the game at 7-7.
The game would move into the night, where the Huskies looked about ready to walk things off. Drake led off with a single just inside the line in left, and Savage and Roberts followed with consecutive bunt singles to load the bases with noone out.
The Cardinals would summon the pen again, this time with Natalie Myers getting the call. Myers made quick work squelching the HCU rally, inducing a comebacker from Sydlilk for a 1-2-3 double-play and an inning-ending groundout by
Maggie Childs.
UIW capitalized, using that momentum and finally getting to HCU's
Addy Prasifka in the 10th. Prasifka, who entered in relief in the fourth, had set down the previous 12 of 13h but was greeted rudely in the 10th by a lead off homer by Sanchez, her second jack of the contest.
Madison Guillen made it back-to-back with a shot to nearly the same spot, giving the visitors an 9-7 advantage. Two more would cross the plate on an RBI double by Giselle Villareal and an RBI single by Baylee Lemons, providing the final score.
HCU had a season-high 16 hits in the game, led by
Riley Martin who had a career-high four hits to go with a walk and two runs. Martin, who went 1-1 with two walks in Friday's second game, has now reached base in nine straight plate appearances over her last three outings.
Savage was 2-4 with her fourth homer and three RBI, while Garcia was 2-6 with the three-run triple.
Avery Drake went 3-5 with a run, and
Tabitha Burnett had her second two-hit game off the bench over her last three games.
Prasifka (0-5) took the loss in an admirable relief stint, as the freshman tossed a career-high 6.1 innings. She issued two walks and gave up the five runs.
All nine starters collected a hit for UIW, with Avalon Sanchez leading the way with her first two homers of the season in a 3-3, three-run, three-RBI day.
Myers, the fourth pitcher of the day for the Cardinals (11-14-1 overall / 3-6 SLC), grabbed the victory, her first of the season, giving up just two hits and no runs over two innings of work.
NEXT UP:
The Huskies (13-18 overall / 3-3 SLC) will take to the road for a Southland series with Northwestern State University, next weekend in Natchitoches.
The series, a doubleheader on Friday and single on Saturday, will pit a pair of 3-3 teams in the league standings.
The Demons won two of three at Nicholls this weekend, and are currently 16-13 overall.
