Miller and Tano stretched hitting streaks to 14 and 10 in first contest Friday.
Miller and Tano stretched hitting streaks to 14 and 10 in first contest Friday.

Crusaders drop Two at Texas Lutheran University to open Weekend

SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Dallas softball team dropped two games Friday at No. 12 Texas Lutheran University to begin the four-game series. The Bulldogs won both matchups in six innings by an eight-run margin, including game two being the latest no-hitter thrown by Maitlin Raycroft who now has an NCAA Division III record of seven.   


GAME 1 INFORMATION

Team Scores: University of Dallas (1), Texas Lutheran University (9) (Final 6 innings)

Team Records: Dallas (9-20, 4-9 SCAC), Texas Lutheran (27-4, 15-0 SCAC)

Pitcher Records: W) Lochte (11-1) L) Galvan (5-9)

NOTABLE STATISTICS

- Hitter's 3 through 6 in the Crusaders lineup recorded the quartet of hits.

- Jade Miller (Plano, Texas) and Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) kept their respective hitting streaks going at 14 and 10. Miller has also now reached base 22 straight contests.

- Miller scored a run for the fifth game out of the past seven.

- Allie Driskill drove in the team's lone run.

- Lauren Galvan (Bryan, Texas) pitched 5.2 innings with nine hits and six earned runs allowed. She also walked two while striking out none.

- Texas Lutheran was led by Cassie Roche (3-4) and Whiteside (2-2) with the multi-hit games. Kyla Lockley and Roche posted a double for two of the team's extra base hits. Nicole Snow pounded a home run for the other.

- Kelsie McEachern, Roche, and Snow formed a trio of Bulldogs with a pair of RBI apiece.

- Amanda Lochte earned the win by tossing six innings of one-run ball. She struck out four and walked none.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The top-15 ranked Bulldogs jump out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning. They would quickly extend the advantage with a pair of runs in the second inning. After going scoreless over the next six outs, the home squad put the game away with four unanswered. This included a three-spot in the sixth inning to force the run-rule.

Texas Lutheran got the bottom half of the frame rolling with Lockley doubling to left. She stole third and then scored on a wild pitch before Lockley recorded the other base hit from TLU in the inning. Consecutive sacrifice fly outs plated the other two runs for the Black and Gold.

In the second, Roche highlighted the production with a two-RBI double. She was thrown out trying to stretch the deep hit into three bases, but was nailed as Dallas ended the inning on a putout that the first baseman, Lety Morales (Fontana, Calif.) cutoff and relayed to third.

The Crusaders did jump on the board as Driskill notched her 17th RBI on the spring to extend her team-high. The shortstop laced a two-out single that scored Miller, who extended her team-lead for that category with number 23. Miller had singled to right with one retired to increase the team's longest active hitting streak earlier in the frame.

That was all the guests could muster against the Bulldogs in game one. Snow homered on a solo shot in the fifth, and then a trio of runs that were all unearned rounded out the scoreboard in the home sixth.


GAME 2 INFORMATION

Team Scores: University of Dallas (0), Texas Lutheran University (8) (Final 6 innings)

Team Records: Dallas (9-21, 4-10 SCAC), Texas Lutheran (28-4, 16-0 SCAC)

Pitcher Records: W) Raycroft (15-2) L) Lee (4-10)

NOTABLE STATISTICS

- Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) was UD's lone base runner and stole her 88th career base to extend her school record.

- Jade Miller (Plano, Texas) was the lone Crusader that had a plate appearance not to strikeout.

- Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) got saddled in the setback with eight runs (7 earned) on 10 hits given up. She walked two and struck out one.

- Her counterpart in the circle for TLU, Raycroft, faced one over the minimum (19 batters) and fanned 10.

- Kirsten Whiteside went 3-for-3 and scored just as many times. She had one of the team's five stolen bases. Lainey Hebert captured two.

- Kaymee Gooden and Kirsten Whiteside recorded the other multiple hit games. Gooden scored twice and had two-of-three TLU extra base hits with a double and triple.  

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Bulldogs scored in all but one inning this game, including the first four turns to bat. A pair of runs in the first and second lifted the unblemished team in conference action to a 4-0 advantage.

After Lee notched her only punch out to start the contest on Lockley, she hit Roche with the first pitch. Then Gooden tripled to right center to break 0-0 display. Gooden later scored on a sacrifice fly by Snow. The Bulldogs were able to utilize their speed with a quartet of stolen bases. A pair of those thefts were involved on scoring plays.

Meanwhile, Raycroft sat down the first nine hitters in the order she faced. This included five-of-six being sat down via strikeout. Finch led off the fourth by reaching on an error that was on the shortstop. Finch immediately stole second with Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas) batting. Finch would scamper to third as Miller grounded out to first, but then was stranded as UD's only baserunner.

Last season, Dallas was no-hit at home by the same squad in a five-inning, run-ruled result. Finch was the only batter to reach in that matchup as well when she started the first inning for the Crusaders by reaching on an error.

Texas Lutheran continued to stretch the lead with one in the third and fourth to open a six-run lead. The fifth was the solo frame no runs came home for TLU, as Snow walked with one out but did not advance any further. In the sixth, a pair of runs marked an eight-run gap and secured the shutout.

UP NEXT

These teams are back on the diamond tomorrow with a twinbill starting at 12 p.m.