SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word Softball team opened the season winning three of five games in the annual UIW tournament at H-E-B Field.
 
In the first inning of the first game the Cardinals fell behind 2-0. However, in the bottom of the third, UIW had three straight at bats which brought in runs, taking a 3-2 lead. In the fourth, Ryleigh Mata blasted a home run giving the Cards a little cushion. The Cardinals continued to roll through seven innings scoring twice more while only giving up a single run and won by a final score of 6-3.
 
Once again, the Cardinals gave up runs in the first inning, trailing 4-0 after one. The Cardinals battled back, scoring three in the third to cut it to a single score game. Both teams added a run in the seventh and the Cardinals ended the day with a 5-4 loss.
 
In her second start of the tournament, Samantha Portillo pitched a complete game, giving up no runs and only three hits through seven innings. However, the Cardinals were not able to put any runs on the board and the two teams headed into extras tied 0-0. In the eighth, PV got a runner across the plate and UIW couldn't match, falling 1-0.
 
In the final game on Saturday, UIW struck first when Dominique Guerra scored after a failed pickoff attempt at second freed her to advance home to put the Cards up 1-0. A few batters later when Prisais Quintero was up to bat, she hit a single and advanced to second base, adding two runs to the Cardinal lead.
 
Eastern Illinois had three straight innings in which they scored a run, but the Cardinals weren't done. In the bottom of the fifth, Victoria Altamirano smashed a ball to dead center field once again giving the Cardinals the lead. The UIW lead grew when Jaisy Caceras had an RBI double making the score 5-3. UIW continued to pour it on, adding two runs in the bottom of the sixth. In the final inning, Bella Mitchell took to the circle rounding out her complete game and got the last three outs as the Cardinals won by a final score of 7-3.
 
In the final game of the weekend the Cardinals came out on fire. After Quintero had a lead-off double, UIW poured on four runs in the opening inning. Larissa Jacquez and the Cards defense kept the Mavericks off the board and after adding a run in the third, Jasmine Sierra walked up to the plate with the bases loaded. She singled to score two for the Cards. Guerra came up to bat and scored the two players on base making the score 8-0 heading into the fifth. Jacquez finished the game retiring 14 straight, and the Cardinals finished the game in five innings, 8-0.
 
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