Jags travelling to Huston-Tillotson for regular season finale

The UHV softball team wants to keep its momentum going in its regular season finale.

The Jaguars, riding a six-game winning streak, square off with Huston-Tillotson in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Austin's Mabson Field in a rematch from a Feb. 23 doubleheader in which UHV won both games, 8-0, in five innings.

But head coach Lindsey Ortiz, whose team has secured a spot in next week's Red River Athletic Conference tournament, says the Jaguars need to bring their A-game this weekend.

"(Huston-Tillotson) is putting up competitive scores," Ortiz said. "We need to go in not coasting. We need to go in take care of business, make sure we have that fight in us and show what we can do."

UHV (25-19, 17-9) is coming off a doubleheader sweep of Southwest.

The Jaguars are averaging 8.3 runs per game after scoring 13 in each game against the Mustangs last week. They roared back to erase a six-run deficit in a 13-8 win in Game 2 thanks to home runs by Claire Blinka and Allison Snedeker. Nine different players recorded an RBI last week, including a career-best performance by Fayth Hoover, who went 4-for-4 with three RBIs in the Game 2. Sarah Cortez drove in four runs on two hits in the comeback win.

Ortiz says execution will be the biggest key for the team heading into the final week of the season.

"We've competed, but ended up beating ourselves," Ortiz said. "We just need to execute at a higher level and use these games as a springboard into the conference tournament."

Blinka has upped her team-leading home run mark to 10 after homering in each game last week, which is tied for the conference lead. The Port Lavaca native, who is on a five-game hit streak, also ranks third in batting average (.444) and fifth in RBIs (43) in the RRAC.

The Jaguars have seen 16 different players with an RBI and 18 with a run scored this season. UHV has seen seven different players mash home runs this season.

That offensive versatility is encouraging for Ortiz heading into the homestretch of the season.

"We've been able to score runs in a lot of different ways," Ortiz said. "I think we run the bases well. We're able to use a big pitching staff and can look for matchups at this point, which is helpful. We need to be a little more confident and aggressive on defense, but that's something we'll continue to pour into."