Seniors lift Jags to sweep of Xavier (La.) on Senior Day

There wasn't a more fitting script for the UHV softball team on Saturday.

Senior Allison Snedeker provided the biggest swing of the day with a walk-off single with nobody out and the bases loaded to score fellow senior Jayce Bolin in the eighth inning. That lifted the Jaguars to a 7-6 win over Xavier (La.) in Game 2 and a sweep of the Gold Nuggets following a 9-5 win in Game 1 on Senior Day at the Victoria Youth Sports Complex.

"I just wanted to put the ball in play," Snedeker said. "There were no outs and Jayce is freaking fast. So, I knew she was going to score. I'm just so happy and proud to be able to do this job after everyone got on base in front of me. It was just a great moment."

It was a common trend of seniors stepping up for the Jaguars (23-19, 15-9) to complete the weekend sweep.

"Senior Day is always kind of tricky; there's a lot of emotion tied to it," said head coach Lindsey Ortiz. "I think this was a very fitting ending for this class. You couldn't have written a better ending for the day."

UHV had to fight back from a three-run deficit and got that in the seventh inning with a three-run double by Daizie Fuentez to tie the game and force the second extra-inning game for the Jaguars this season.

It was the first multi-hit and multi-RBI game for the Victoria native.

"My approach was just to be patient and hit it out in front," Fuentez said, "and be the person to step up and get those runs in.

"My confidence is really high right now. I feel like I can step up if I need to fill somebody's shoes again."

While it was the first career multi-hit game for Fuentez, senior first baseman Claire Blinka had a multi-hit showing in each game for her 54^th and 55^th multi-hit games, breaking the previous record set by Ashley Winegeart from 2011-14.

The Port Lavaca native went 5-for-9 on the day, including 3-for-5 with three RBIs to lift UHV to a 9-5 win in Game 1.

"Today felt great," Blinka said. "The environment we were in, the dugout coming together, like you said, it was perfect. I couldn't be happier, especially for Jayce and Allison and all of us who got it done today."

Audrie Sayas earned her 10^th win of the season after tossing four innings of shutout relief.

But seniors Hope Quinones and Alexi Wade stole the show in Game 1.

Quinones earned her eighth win and second consecutive winning decision after throwing 4.2 innings with five strikeouts. Then Wade, one of Quinones' closest friends on the team, backed up her friend by throwing 2.2 shutout innings with just one hit allowed to earn her first save of the season.

Wade inherited a bases-loaded jam and worked to strand all three runners to preserve an 8-5 lead in the fifth.

"That's another one you just can't script and it just played out in such a great way," Ortiz said. "Wade has been really going in and hitting her spots, and doing a great job. We felt like she would be a great matchup against what we were seeing. Coming in and shutting down their offense was big for her."

UHV next hosts University of the Southwest next Friday, April 18, at the Victoria Youth Sports Complex.