The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
24-21, 11-6
UTSA
8-34, 3-13
Softball Sweeps UTSA in Doubleheader
4/22/2023 9:43:00 PM | Softball
SAN ANTONIO – UAB Softball concluded the UTSA series with a sweep over the Roadrunners on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field. The Green and Gold defeated UTSA 12-6 in game one and shut them out 5-0 in game two.
"Huge road sweep for us. As I've said, it's very difficult to win on the road and getting a road sweep is big time," said head coach AJ Daugherty. "In game one, our offense really showed up with double-digit hits and runs. In game two, we jumped on them early and Sarah Cespedes gave us a good outing."
The Blazers sit at 25-21 overall and 12-6 in C-USA play. The Blazers are on a four-game win streak going into the final weeks of the regular season.
GAME 1: UAB (12) UTSA (6)
The Blazers began the game with a leadoff double from Lauren Brock, followed by an RBI single from Bella Wiggins to send Brock across home plate early. The Green and Gold kept their foot on the gas with another double from Olivia Valbak to secure a one-out RBI double to increase the score to 2-0. Another RBI double from Lindsey Smith sent Valbak across home plate and gave UAB the 3-0 lead at the conclusion of the first.
Pitcher Caitlin Russell entered the circle for the Blazers with support from her defense to only allow one hit in the bottom of the first. UAB held UTSA to zero for three innings. The Blazers added another run in the top of the third with an RBI double from Lindsey Smith to give UAB the four-run lead before the roadrunners found themselves in a rally at the bottom of the third inning. UTSA sent a two run shot to close the scoring gap to two runs before the Blazers ended the inning with a double play.
UAB entered the top of the fifth with a two-run shot from Lindsey Smith to extend their lead back to four runs. UTSA delivered another two-run homer to left field to put the scoring margin to two runs. The Green and Gold went into offensive overdrive entering the top of the sixth, scoring six runs on four hits bringing the Blazers' lead to eight. The Roadrunners again sent a two-run homer, putting the score at 12-6.
In the final inning, UAB gathered two more hits, but left two on base. The Green and Gold would not score again though, and ended their offensive run with 13 hits. The Blazers closed the game with a double play, their fourth of the game.
GAME 2: UAB (5) UTSA (0)
Game two began similar to the first, with the Blazers immediately getting a leadoff hit to start the game. Brock, who stood at first, advanced to third on a sacrifice fly before being sent across home, courtesy of Sierra Frazier. The Blazers then delivered a three-up-three-down to close out inning one. Hannah Miles secured a solo homer in the park to extend the lead to two runs.
The Green and Gold held the Roadrunners to one hit again, with pitcher Sarah Cespedes striking out batters back-to-back. The UAB offense saw another opportunity to extend the lead in a homer from Sierra Frazier to put the score at 3-0. The Blazers added two more hits to the box, one being a double from Lindsey Smith, but were unable to capitalize. The Blazer defense continued to hold UTSA to zero hits while the offense added hits but could not score. It would not be until the bottom of the sixth where UTSA singled, but would be left unable to score.
The Green and Gold went into the seventh with one last rally, with UAB getting on base after being hit by a pitch twice (Frazier, A. Smith). Kaily Collett entered as a pinch hitter for Lilly Crowe, singling up left field and sending Frazier across home. Another run came from Lindsey Smith advancing to home on the throw to give UAB its last run of the night. The final out of the game mirrored the first, with a double play to end it with a shutout win.
IN THE BOX
-
The Blazers totaled 21 hits on the day. Of the 21 hits, seven were doubles, and three were home runs.
-
Sarah Cespedes and Caitlin Russell threw a combined ten strikeouts. Both threw complete games.
-
UAB came to bat 59 times and hit for .351 on the day.
UP NEXT
The Blazers return to Mary Bowers Field for their Home Series Finale against UTEP. UAB will begin the series on Friday, April 28 at 5 PM.
"We've got continue to improve and grow as we head into our final home series. It will be a big opportunity for us."
FOLLOW UAB SOFTBALL
To keep up with UAB Softball, follow@UAB_SB on Instagram and Twitter. For game previews, stories, and more, check our UAB Softball home page.
2022-23 GOLD CARD
Softball season tickets are available by purchasing the 2022-23 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card will allow you access to all home events for Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Baseball, and Softball. Fans can purchase a Gold Card by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1. For questions, email tickets@uab.edu.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Russell, Caitlin (8-2)
L: GILBERT (1-9)
Batting:
2B: Brock, Lauren 1 ; Frazier, Sierra 1 ; Valbak, Olivia 2 ; Smith, Lindsey 2
HR: Smith, Lindsey 1
RBI: Wiggins, Bella 2 ; Frazier, Sierra 2 ; Valbak, Olivia 3 ; Smith, Lindsey 4 ; Smith, Allyson 1
SH: Aguilar, Alyssa 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brock, Lauren 2 ; Wiggins, Bella 4 ; Lowery, Reese 1 ; Valbak, Olivia 1 ; Collett, Kaily 1 ; Smith, Lindsey 1 ; Cortez, Makenna 1 ; Miles, Hannah 1
SB: Wiggins, Bella 1
HBP: Miles, Hannah 1
Batting:
2B: MATA 1
HR: IBARRA 1 ; ESTELL 1 ; DEAR 1
RBI: IBARRA 2 ; ESTELL 1 ; DEAR 2
Base Running:
RUNS: IBARRA 2 ; ESTELL 1 ; DAVIS 1 ; DEAR 1 ; MATA 1
HBP: HOOD 1
