SAN ANTONIO -- Monica Acuna's two-out, three-run homer in the ninth inning provided the difference for Incarnate Word in a 5-4 win over Midwestern State in Game 2 Friday afternoon at Cardinals Field.
 
The walk-off blast dimmed the heroics of MSU freshman Katelyn Vinson, who belted two homers off of UIW ace and LSC Preseason Pitcher of the Year Brianna Sanchez. The Southlake Carroll High product finished the series 8-of-9 with a double, four homers and nine RBIs before receiving intentional passes in each of her final two at bats.
 
Vinson extended her season-best hitting streak to seven games notching at least two hits in each of those games while posting a .727 batting average (16-of-22) with a double, six homers and 16 RBIs during the stretch to raise her season batting average to an LSC leading .500.
 
She accounted for the first two hits off of Sanchez through her first two at bats - both homers to left field - to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.
 
Incarnate Word finally broke through against MSU starter Laci Belovsky in the bottom of the fifth as the Cardinals posted their lone earned run of the game on an RBI ground out by Ashley Freeman to cut the Mustangs' lead to 2-1.
 
UIW's Kim Hanson reached on an infield error with one out in the sixth then came around to tie the game at 2-2 on Alex Yarbrough's triple down the right-field line.
 
The Mustangs loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an infield single by Chelsey Wall in the ninth before Sanchez walked Carey Campbell and hit Kim Jerrick with a 1-2 offering to force in a pair of runs as MSU led 4-2.
 
Belovsky, who fell to 15-7 after allowing one earned run on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 8 2/3 innings,  permitted a one-out single in the ninth before fanning Alex Zepeda for the second out of the frame in the ninth. But another error gave the Cardinals and Acuna capitalized with her fourth homer of the season to end the game.
 
Incarnate Word (22-13, 6-6) managed nine unearned runs off of six MSU errors in the series to take two of three games from the Mustangs.
 
Vinson and Wall had two hits apiece to account for the Mustangs' season-low hit total of four.
 
Sanchez claimed the win to improve to 13-6 allowing four runs on six hits with six walks and six strikeouts.
 
Midwestern State (24-11, 6-6) hits the road for three non-conference tilts next week. The Mustangs take on Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) Monday night at 6 p.m. before playing Henderson State (Ark.) in a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.