AUSTIN, Texas - The University of the Incarnate Word softball team split a pair of contests on day two of the Longhorn Invitational on Saturday. UIW took down St. Bonaventure 9-0 in a five-inning affair shortened by run rule in game one, and the Cardinals fell to Houston 7-6 in their second game of the day. UIW's season record moved to 13-6.
 
UIW 9, St. Bonaventure 0; 5 Innings
 
Emma Follis got the start in the circle for UIW and tossed a perfect top of the first inning. The first two Cardinals were retired in the bottom half, but a Sydney Zenon single sparked a two-out rally. Zenon stole second and scored on a base hit by Bryanna Fuentes, who later scored on an RBI single by Dominique Guerra. Guerra crossed the plate courtesy of a St. Bonaventure error and UIW claimed a 3-0 lead after one.
 
Follis induced three groundouts in the second. The Cardinals then loaded the bases with nobody out and picked up another run on a Zenon walk to make it 4-0. Follis allowed her first hit of the day and Cardinals pitching's first of the weekend in the third, but worked around the two-out bunt single.
 
UIW again loaded the bases with nobody out in the third inning and, like in the second, the Bonnies retired the next two Cardinals hitters. However, Victoria Altamirano smoked a bases-clearing double to left center and then scored on a St. Bonaventure error. UIW led 8-0 heading into the fourth inning. 
 
The Cardinals added one more in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Aynsli Lawson and extended their lead to 9-0. Follis finished the game with a one-two-three top of the fifth, securing a run-rule victory and clinching a one-hitter. That performance followed Bella Mitchell's five inning no-hitter against Prairie View A&M on Friday, meaning Cardinals pitching surrendered just one hit through their first 10 innings of the weekend.
 
Follis earned her third victory of the season and the bunt single she gave up in the third inning was the only base runner that St. Bonaventure managed. 
 
Houston 7, UIW 6
 
The Cougars struck early with a pair of runs in the first, but the Cardinals got one back when Altamirano, who began the inning by being hit by a pitch, scored on an RBI groundout by Zenon. Houston extended its lead to 6-1 with a four-run top of the second.
 
The Cardinals turned to Jenny Robledo in the circle with two outs in the second, and she stabilized the game. Robledo allowed just one tally in 5.1 innings, a sixth inning Houston run that gave the Cougars a 7-1 advantage. 
 
That performance allowed UIW to stage a comeback in the bottom of the sixth. The Cardinals loaded the bases with nobody out on a single by Altamirano and walks by Zenon and Jaisy Caceres. They plated one run on a Fuentes walk, one each on a pair of fielder's choices, one on a single by Prisais Quintero and another on a base hit by Carmen Uribe. UIW cut its deficit to 7-6 with its five-run frame.
 
Robledo tossed a perfect top of the seventh, but the Cardinals were unable to rally in the bottom half, falling just short in their comeback attempt.
 
UIW (13-6, 0-0) finishes its weekend in Austin with a pair of games on Sunday. The Cardinals will have a rematch with St. Bonaventure at 9:30 a.m. before a 2:30 p.m. matchup against Longhorn Invitational host Texas.