SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team swept a pair of games from cross town rival St. Mary's on Tuesday night at Cardinals Field by identical 6-5 scores. (Game 1, Game 2)

In game one the Cardinals (20-12) got off to a slow start trailing 4-1 after the top of the third inning.  It was all UIW after that.  Monica Acuna (San Antonio/Holmes HS) opened up a three-run third inning for the Cardinals with an RBI double scoring Ashley Freeman (Canyon Lake/Smithson Valley HS).  Victoria Silva (San Antonio/Brandeis HS) followed with another RBI double and Whitney Waltrip (Orangevale, CA/Casa Robles HS) rounded out the scoring with a single up the middle. 

UIW added two more runs in the fourth inning to gain the lead.  Alex Zepeda (Sinton/Sinton HS) got on the score sheet with a RBI single and later scored on an error by the Rattlers (28-12). 

Briana Sanchez (San Antonio/Marshall HS) picked up her 11th victory of the season with the win.  She gave up six hits, three earned runs and struck out seven in the process. 

Maricela Bissaro got the loss for the Rattlers.  She went 3.0 innings giving up four runs, four hits and three walks.  Laura Benavidez and Christina Rodriguez each cracked solo homers for the visitors.

The Cardinals kept the momentum going from the first game and score five times in the first inning.  UIW loaded the bases and then put together three straight singles to score the runs.  Kim Hanson (Devine/Devine HS) drove in the first two runs of the game with a bloop single to right field.

The Cardinals added another run in the fourth inning on a two-out RBI single by Silva.

Heading to the fifth inning it looked like the Cardinals might blow the game wide open, but the Rattlers had different ideas.  UIW starting pitcher Whitney Waltrip did not allow a hit through the first 4.2 innings, but then ran into trouble trying to get the last out of the fifth inning.  First, there was an infield error and then Bissaro broke up the no-hitter with a double off the left field wall.  A walk loaded the bases and then Shelly Lee Zawadzki put the Rattlers on the board with a run-scoring single.  Taylor Vidrine followed with a grand slam to make it a 6-5 game and took Waltrip out of the pitching circle.  Kandace Patek (Magnolia/Tomball HS) came on in relief allowing a walk and a base hit before getting the final out of the inning.

Patek settled down after the first two batters she faced and retired seven of the final eight batters to earn her second save of the year.  Waltrip improved to 8-5 on the season.  Silva had three hits in the game while Freeman and Alex Yarbrough (Boerne/Boerne HS) each had two hits.

Emily Brittain was tagged with the loss to fall to 16-4 on the year.  She allowed nine hits, five earned runs and four walks while striking out five in 6.0 innings.

The Cardinals are back in action on Thursday at home at 7 p.m. against Lone Star Conference rival Midwestern State.
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