SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team had not only their best season under third year head coach Kim Dean but also the best season in program history.
 
The Cards kicked off their season at home with five straight wins in the UIW tournament over Lindenwood, Buffalo, and Prairie View A&M. UIW then hit the road for a whole month, however, their dominance didn't stop. The Cards went 7-3 in their next two tournaments and had a SLC leading 12-3 record heading into conference play.
 
The beginning of conference wasn't kind to the Cardinals as the team fell in two of their first three series to the eventual number one and two seeds in the tournament SLU and McNeese. Things turned around for softball after two consecutive sweeps over Texas A&M – Commerce and HCU where they averaged nearly nine runs and only giving up two per game.
 
The Cardinals wouldn't lose another conference game until late April, moving back up the SLC standings and securing the four seed in the Southland Conference tournament and a new regular season win record with 31.
 
The Cardinals earned several regular season awards. Two players, Maddison Guillen and Victoria Altamirano, were named to the Southland Conference first-team. Along with this, three players, Baylee Lemons, Ryleigh Mata, and Jillian Gutierrez were named to the second team. Altamirano was crowned SLC Player of the Year.
 
In their first match up of the tournament against the Lamar Cardinals, UIW was in danger down 3-0 in the fifth inning. The UIW Cardinals rallied in the bottom of that inning to take the 4-3 lead, but Lamar tied it up in seventh to force extra innings. In the bottom of the eighth Baylee Lemons hit a RBI walk-off single to send the Cardinals to the winners bracket to face McNeese.
 
In their second game UIW knocked off the Cowgirls in another close battle. The Cardinals took a tough 6-1 loss to SLU in the next game which set up another match up with McNeese for a spot in the final.
 
UIW started out on fire from the plate, scoring six runs in the first three innings. The Cowgirls held the Cards in check until the seventh when UIW added two more. Just when it looked like the Cardinals were set to make it to the SLC Championship McNeese went on a run. The Cowgirls scored four runs cutting the Cardinal lead to one, 8-7. With the tying run on base and the winning run on at the plate, UIW got the final out and earned their spot in the championship game.
 
The Cardinals trailed for most of the title game but made a late push to tie things up in the sixth. UIW added two more runs, taking a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Unfortunately, things didn't go in UIW's favor as SLU scored three in the bottom of the seventh to end the Cardinals season.
 
While the Cardinals said goodbye to nine seniors, there is still a great core of young talent led by Victoria Altamirano who was named to the NFCA D1 second all-region team.
FOLLOW ALONG                                     
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics, and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. Follow the team on Twitter @UIWSoftball and Instagram @uiwsoftball.