Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HOUSTON, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word and Texas Southern University played a pair of tightly contested softball games on Tuesday night at Memorial Park.  The Tigers won the opener, 4-3 and the Cardinals won the night cap, 3-2.

The Tigers (19-15) came from behind in the opener.  The Cardinals (15-22) led 2-0 and 3-2, but TSU would have the final say.  A double by Briana Parker in the bottom of the seventh brought home Tiffany Marshall with the winning run.

The Cardinals took an early 2-0 lead, but it could have been more.  They left two runners on base in the first inning and then left the bases loaded in the second and third innings.  Kristin Hebert (Humble/Atascocita HS) gave UIW a lead with a run-scoring double and then scored on Krystal Contreras' (Eagle Pass/C.C. Winn HS) single.

The Tigers tied the game in the bottom of the third inning when they hit three doubles.  UIW regained the lead in the sixth on a two-out, pinch-hit single by Whitney Waltrip (Orangevale, CA/Casa Robles HS) to score Danielle Ramirez (San Antonio/Marshall HS).

Hebert started in the circle for UIW and took a no-decision after allowing nine hits and three runs in 6.0 innings. Mikaela Flores (Lockhart/Lockhart HS) was tagged with the loss after allowing two hits and a run in a third of an inning.

The win went to Sammantha Jimenez who pitched 4.1 innings of relief for TSU allowing three hits and one run while striking out three.  Marshall finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

In the second game, Brooke DuBois (Pearland/Pearland HS) allowed two runs to the Tigers in the first inning, but settled down and did not allow a run the rest of the game for the Cardinals.

The Cardinals scored a run in the top of the first inning when Kellen Robles (San Antonio/Smithson Valley HS) led off with a triple and scored on Alex Zepeda's single.  UIW took the lead back in the top of the sixth inning.  They took advantage of a pair of TSU errors in the inning to score two unearned runs.  The Cardinals only had six hits in the game, but it was enough.

Jimenez was handed the loss after allowing six hits, one earned run and no walks while striking out four in 5.1 innings.

The Cardinals are back in action at home on Saturday and Sunday against Southland Conference rival McNeese State.
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