By MATT DEARMAN

Sports Writer

The University of Texas-San Antonio (17-14) scored 12 runs while sweeping Tech's (12-15) softball team in a double header Saturday, winning the contests by scores of 7-0 and 5-1 and extending the Lady Techsters' losing streak to four games.

Before the recent four-game skid, the Lady Techsters were on a four-game winning streak, the longest since 2001.

In the first game, the Roadrunners' high scoring offense proved to be too much for the Techsters, who were only able to put four runners on base during the contest.

"Different teams are going to require you to beat them in different ways," Tech head coach Sarah Dawson said. "In order to beat [Texas-San Antonio] we needed to expect to put five or six runs on the board. We have got to produce offensively more efficiently."

UTSA entered the contest with an impressive offense that knocked out 37 home runs in their first 29 games and added four more to that total in their two games against Tech. The Techsters bats were quiet throughout the game, recording just one hit each from Brittany Stanley, Jessica Elson and Jen LaRussa.

Senior Marla Pinkston (8-11), who allowed only two earned runs in her previous 37 1/3 innings, started the game on the mound for the Techsters and allowed five runs (four earned), six hits and four walks in six innings of work before being relieved by Lindsey Meadows (0-1), who allowed two more runs and one more hit in the final inning.

In game two, Tech's offense came alive, recording eight hits. However, they were only able to convert one of these hits into a run, as the Techsters stranded ten runners on base.

Meadows returned to the mound to start the second game for Tech and recorded the loss, allowing five runs (all five earned) and nine hits while pitching all seven innings. Meadows also recorded six strikeouts for the game.

Tech's only run of the day came in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Elson made a final attempt at a comeback with a two-out double to left field before advancing to third on a passed ball and then scoring off an error by the Roadrunner infield.

"I'm very pleased with where Jessica is," said Dawson. "We're excited to have her back in the lineup because she helps add a little more punch to the top of our lineup."

Center fielder Amber Miles led the Techster offense with three hits, followed by Elson, who contributed two hits in the game. Stanley, Ashley Palma and Mary Cohn accounted for Tech's other three hits.

The series against Texas-San Antonio marked the second straight sweep suffered by the Techsters, who lost two extra-inning games to the University of Southern Mississippi on March 18 by scores of 4-3 and 6-5.

Meadows started the first game for Tech, allowing three runs and six hits with two strike outs in 6 2/3 innings. Pinkston came in to relieve Meadows in the seventh inning and was credited with the loss for allowing the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Southern Miss took advantage of the international tiebreaker rule, which places a runner on second base at the start of an inning, when Auriel Jenkins was put on second, stole third and then scored off of a bunt by Sue Logan.

The Techsters' pounded out nine hits in the game, with three from Stanley, two from Miles and Amiee Coleman and one each from Bridget Broadnax and Cohn. They were unable to convert enough of these hits into runs, however, as Tech left seven runners stranded on base in the game.

"[Brittany and Amber] are definitely our table setters," Dawson said. "They've done their job. They've been getting hits and by far lead our team in batting average. Both of them have definitely matured as hitters."

In the second game of the day, Pinkston again received the loss after pitching a complete game and giving up the decisive run in the eighth inning.

The Techsters came out swinging, scoring two runs in the first inning off of a walk by Miles, a triple by Stanley and a sacrifice fly by Palma.

The game then switched leads several times as Southern Miss scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning, and Tech answered back in the fourth inning with a three-run home run by Coleman. The Lady Eagles then scored one run in both the seventh and eighth innings to secure the win.

Tech will play next in Tulsa, Okla., March 27 when they face the University of Tulsa in a double header to open WAC play.