SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word softball team got back to its winning ways on Tuesday, sweeping a Southland Conference doubleheader with East Texas A&M University, 6-3 and 5-3, from Cardinals Field.

Incarnate Word moves its overall record to 29-15 with a 14-6 record in Southland play, while East Texas A&M falls to 6-39 on the year with a 1-19 league mark.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME ONE)

• The Cardinals opened the day with a run in the opening inning of play to take the early lead before ETAMU scored three runs on four hits in the top of the third to take a 3-1 lead.
• Incarnate Word responded with four runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning, using a solo home run from senior Victoria Altamirano and a grand slam from junior Erin Perez to claim a 6-3 advantage.
• Senior starter Bella Mitchell (10-5) kept East Texas scoreless down the stretch to finish off her complete game performance and a win.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME TWO)

• Incarnate Word struck first with four runs in the second inning, including solo home runs from senior Madison Dorrow and sophomore Kennedy Hill. Altamirano had an RBI double in the inning that scored two runs and gave UIW a 4-0 lead.
• East Texas scratched across three runs in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to one before the Cardinals responded with a run of their own in the fourth to move ahead 5-3.
• Sophomore Jenny Robledo shut the Lions down across the final three innings to preserve the win for Incarnate Word.

NOTES

• Mitchell allowed three runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts in the opener for her 10th win of the season, while Ava Hernandez (5-2) got the win in the nightcap.
• In game two, Robledo pitched 3.2 innings of hitless relief, striking out three batters in her 22nd appearance of the season.
• Altamirano had two extra base hits on the day, including a double and a home run, to go along with two runs and three RBI. The home run was the 19th of the season for the senior, a new single-season program record.
• Dorrow, Hill, and Perez each had a home run in the doubleheader, while junior Ayla Gonzales was 4-for-6 at the plate across two games with two runs scored.

UP NEXT
Incarnate Word and East Texas A&M finish off the three-game series tomorrow with a single game at 1:00 p.m.