Box Score

SAN ANTONIO – The University of Texas at San Antonio used three home runs, including a grand-slam in the third inning, to defeat the Nicholls State University softball team 8-2 on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field to complete the three-game series sweep.

In the losing effort for Nicholls (9-33, 2-18 SLC), Ashley Ray capped off an impressive week by going 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. For the week, Ray hit three homers with eight RBIs. Her junior teammate, Megan Gaspard, also had a single and scored twice, giving her seven hits and five runs this week.

The Colonels finished with seven hits but stranded nine runners on the day. Tori Lay, Katie Holmes and Mandy Granger added singles while Lauren Jolivette finished with a double.

Ray started off the scoring in the first with a RBI double down the left field line, scoring Gaspard, who singled and was moved over on a sac-bunt by Whitney Roan, to make it 1-0 Colonels.

The lead did not last long as UTSA (25-23, 15-12 SLC) led off its at-bat with a home run by Carrie Monroe. The Roadrunners then grabbed the lead in the second on a pair of RBI singles by Nikki Goff and Samantha Beeson.

In the third, Ray drew a one-out walk with Granger reaching on an error in the next at-bat. Brittany Marcet was walked to load the bases, but Emily Humpal fanned the next two batters to end the threat. In the bottom half, a leadoff error, a single and a walk loaded the bases with two outs for UTSA. Humpal then took the first pitch over the center field wall for a grand-slam, extending the lead to 7-1.

Ray brought home Gaspard again in fourth on a single to left, but the Roadrunners' Jori Fox hit the third home run of the game to make it 8-2 in the fifth. The Colonels would only get the double from Jolivette the rest of the way as UTSA completed the sweep.

Ashton Bennett suffered her third loss of the weekend, giving up three runs on four hits in two innings. Carlee Winklemann came out of the bullpen, pitching four innings with one earned run on five hits.

Monroe and Beeson led the UTSA offense with two hits each. Humpal, along with her grand-slam, picked up the win, going four innings with one earned run on six hits.

Nicholls returns to Thibodaux for a seven-game home stand, starting on Tuesday with a Southland Conference doubleheader against Southeastern Louisiana. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.