SAN ANTONIO — UTSA softball won its second consecutive conference series to start the season on Saturday, defeating the University of Memphis 5-1. Sophomore pitcher Reagan Stoudt threw a complete game in the victory, moving the Roadrunners to 5-0 in the American Conference.
Stoudt was supported early by four UTSA runs in the first two innings. The Roadrunners (16-12, 5-0 AC) hit three straight singles to start the game and brought all three batters home to create a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Freshman catcher Brookelynn Meador started the scoring with an RBI single, and a bases-loaded walk by junior outfielder Taryn Madlock doubled the lead. Junior outfielder Samantha Mundine popped out to left field to score Meador from third base and create the three-run gap. From the mound, Stoudt kept the Tigers’ (7-18, 0-5 AC) offense struggling all game, issuing only two walks and stranding eleven runners on the bases.
“What I really liked about Reagan today was her composure,” coach Vann Stuedeman said after the game. “We’ve been really focused on paying attention to your own job and not what everybody else needs to be doing. There were some misplays or errors, or maybe she thought she should have gotten a strike and didn’t, but she really remained poised, kept pounding the zone and doing her job.”
The Roadrunners excelled in lead-off hitting early in the game, with the first batter reaching base in each of the first three frames. After the three first-inning RBIs, sophomore outfielder Skylar Rucker scored on a wild pitch in the second inning to increase the Roadrunners’ lead to four. Despite the lead, the UTSA offense kept the door open for Memphis, failing to score again until the sixth inning.
“I actually challenged them a little bit,” Stuedman said. “I felt like we started fast and finished slow. We have to make sure we’re not getting lulled into that. We put up a big inning yesterday, they could put up a big inning any time.”
The Tigers clawed one run back after loading the bases in the fourth inning, but Stoudt ended the inning with a strikeout to limit the damage. A sixth-inning single from sophomore utility Sabrina Wick provided an insurance run and established the final scoreline. Memphis batters reached first and second base with one out in the final frame, but Stoudt forced a fly-out and struck out the final batter to end the contest.
“I was really proud of my performance,” Stoudt said. “It’s really nice when our offense is working, and our offense has been working a lot recently. It’s really fun to see that. It makes the energy higher and obviously gives a little cushion on defense.”
The Roadrunners outhit Memphis 13-8. The ‘Runners struck out three times, while Memphis struck out four times. Wick, Meador, Madlock and Mundine each had one RBI in the game.
UTSA will face Memphis in the series’ final game at noon Sunday at Roadrunner Field.
