April 27, 2006
Box Score
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Jenna Fortune smacked a home run and a two-run single to lead UTA to a 6-0 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to salvage a spilt of a doubleheader Thursday night.
UTA (29-17) will head into Saturday's regular-season-ending series at Texas-San Antonio needing a sweep over the Roadrunners to leap past UTSA into second place in the Southland Conference. TAMUCC improves to 9-33 on the season.
The Mavericks pounded out 11 hits in the nightcap. They scored three runs in the fifth and seventh innings. Fortune slapped a two-run single in the fifth inning and hit her sixth home run of the season to leadoff the seventh inning.
Laura Jones (11-4) scattered five hits for the win.
In the opener, TAMUCC freshman Amanda Foster retired the final 22 batters in the first game, leading the Islanders to a 5-4 extra-inning win.
UTA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after getting three of their four hits in the first inning. The Mavs started the game back-to-back doubles, followed by a hit batter and another double. After D.J. Nelson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Jenna Fortune doubled to right center to drive in all three runners. Fortune drove in all four runs for the Mavericks in the first game.
After Fortune's double, Foster gave up a single to April Clougherty in the second and would not allow a runner to reach base the rest of the way.
Texas-Arlington's Jill Garro (16-10) did not get help from her defense as she allowed six hits and all five runs were unearned thanks to three throwing errors.
The Islanders cut into Texas-Arlington's lead after scoring two runs in the bottom of the third thanks to a throwing error by Garro. Erika Armenta hit a one-out single to left center before freshman Andrea Simancas attempted to sacrifice her to second. Simancas laid down a but fielded by Garro, but her throw was wide and ended up in the right field corner, allowing both runs to score.
A&M-Corpus Christi managed to tie the game up in the bottom of the seventh when Stephanie Estrada led off the inning with a slow roller just past home plate that catcher Courtni Anderson threw past Nelson at first base allowing Estrada to score and tie the game at three.
In extra innings, neither team was able to score in the eight despite having a runner on second base to start the inning because of the tie-break rules. In the top of the ninth, Nelson sacrificed Autumn Petrino, who was placed on second, over to third before Fortune hit a fly ball deep enough to left field to drive in the run.
In the bottom of the inning, Crystal Russell hit a one-out single to right field, moving Brenda Guerrero, who was placed on second, to third. Russell advanced to second on an errant throw by Petrino in right field. Still with one out in the inning, Estrada successfully laid down a squeeze bunt, allowing Guerrero to score from third. Once the play was over, Nelson at first base threw to third base behind Russell, but the throw was wide, allowing her to score, giving the Islanders the victory.
