SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team split with games with visiting Lone Star Conference rival Midwestern State on Friday afternoon at Cardinals Field, losing the first game, 10-3 and the coming back to win the second, 5-4 in nine innings on a walk-off two-out three-run homer by Monica Acuna. (Game 1, Game 2)

The Cardinals (22-13, 6-6) could not find their bats in game one.  The Mustangs (24-11, 6-6) scored five times in the third inning and three times in the fourth inning to take a commanding 9-0 lead.  Katelyn Vinson smashed a three-run homer in the third inning and finished the game 4-for-4 with five runs batted in.

The Cardinals were unable to answer any of MSU's runs until the fifth inning. Shortstop Ashley Freeman (San Antonio/Smithson Valley) singled to left field to score Anna-Marie Moore (Aloha, OR/Aloha HS) and putting the Cardinals on the board for the first time.  Acuna (San Antonio/Holmes) followed Freeman with another single and her 26^th RBI of the season.

Junior Whitney Waltrip (Orangevale, CA/Casa Robles HS) started the game in the circle for the Cardinals, but was relieved by freshman Kandace Patek (Magnolia/Tomball HS) in the third inning.  Waltrip (8-6) allowed six hits and six runs and picked up two strikeouts before being pulled.  Patek closed the game allowing eight hits and four runs in 4.2 innings.  Kim Hanson (Devine/Devine HS) was the only member of the team to have two hits in the game.

Katherine Batey (9-4) pitched the entire game for the Mustangs and allowed six hits and three runs in her ninth win of the season.  Batey recorded five strikeouts in the win.  They tallied 14 hits as a team.  In addition to Vinson, Christina Roosmalen was 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI while Shelby Carter went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI's.

Game two turned out to be a classic pitching duel with some offensive fireworks in extra innings.  Vinson got the scoring started in the third inning with a bomb over left field.  She added another solo home run in the fifth inning, giving the Mustangs a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the inning.

The Cardinals answered the Mustangs in the bottom of the fifth and cut their lead in half.  A single from Alex Zepeda (Sinton/Sinton HS) put pinch runner Taylor Johnson (Schertz/Clemens) in scoring position for the Cardinals.  Freeman drove in Johnson with an infield grounder to make it 2-1.

The Cardinals tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Hanson reached base via an error and then right fielder Alex Yarborough (Boerne/Boerne HS) came through with a two-out triple to make it 2-2 heading into the seventh inning.

Neither team was able to score in the seventh or eighth innings, but that would change in the ninth.  It appeared that UIW starting pitcher Briana Sanchez (San Antonio/Marshall HS) was going to get through the inning unscathed, but MSU rallied.  With a runner on first and two outs, Vinson was intentionally walked.  Chelsey Wall followed with an infield single to load the bases.  Carey Campbell walked on a full count after fouling off six consecutive pitches to force in the go ahead run and Kim Jerrick followed with a controversial hit by pitch that made it 4-2 Mustangs heading to the bottom half of the inning.

The Cardinals would answer those runs in the bottom of the inning.  They were down to their final out with just one runner on base when Freeman reached base on a dropped throw by the MSU first baseman to keep the inning alive.  Three pitches later, Acuna sent the Cardinals fans into a frenzy with a three-run homer to give the team a walk-off win.

Sanchez allowed four hits, four runs and six walks while striking out six in 9.0 innings to earn her 13^th win of the season.  Zepeda and Moore each had two hits for the Cardinals.

Laci Belovsky (15-7) also pitched a complete game for the Mustangs and allowed seven hits and two runs with five strikeouts.  Vinson and Wall combined for all four of the MSU hits in the game.

The Cardinals will travel to Laredo for a non-conference doubleheader against Texas A&M-International on Wednesday at 1 p.m. The Cardinals split games with the Dustdevils earlier in the season at home.
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