Crusaders return home for eight straight games to complete 2017 regular season.
Crusaders return home for eight straight games to complete 2017 regular season.

Softball swept at No. 12 Texas Lutheran on Saturday

SEGUIN, Texas – The University of Dallas softball team fell to No. 12 Texas Lutheran University in a doubleheader on Saturday. This gave the Bulldogs a four-game sweep and stretched its winning streak to 29 games and conference streak to 17.


GAME 1 INFORMATION

Team Scores: University of Dallas (1), Texas Lutheran University (12) (Final 5 innings)

Team Records: Dallas (9-22, 4-11 SCAC), Texas Lutheran (29-4, 17-0 SCAC)

Pitcher Records: W) Lochte (12-1) L) Galvan (5-10)

NOTABLE STATISTICS

- Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) scored a run and had one-of-two steals by the team.

- Jade Miller (Plano, Texas) ripped the first hit by the squad and had the other steal.

- Baylee Leifester (Belton, Texas) recorded the other knock in two at bats.

- Lauren Galvan (Bryan, Texas) allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits. She walked one.

- Texas Lutheran was led by Courtney Mica with a perfect showing at the plate (3-3). She drove in three, tripled, and scored a run.

- Kaymee Gooden brought in a game-high four runs, scored three herself, and both her hits were home runs.

- Lainey Hebert and Kirsten Whiteside chipped in doubles each for the remaining extra base hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Crusaders claimed their only lead in the series with a run two batters into the start of the contest. Finch reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Next she stole career base number 89, which increases her all-time school record. Kotlar grounded out to third to score a speedy Finch. Miller became the third straight Dallas runner to start the game by also making it to first on an error. She advanced to second on the same play. However, the guests could not move her around as the next two hitters grounded out.

Texas Lutheran responded with plenty of offense. The home squad scored in each inning during its turn to bat in the run-ruled game. The first two innings featured three-spots. A four-run fourth capped the big performance.

Kyla Lockley was hit by pitch to start and then stole second. Hebert doubled to left center to knot the game. Gooden followed with the go-ahead homer to make it 3-1. In the second frame, TLU struck for another trio of runs. The first was on Mica scoring with her speed as she stole second and third within the same at bat. An error allowed her to score after swiping third, Gooden pounded her second round-tripper in as many at bats, again for two RBI.

Dallas earned its first hit from Miller on a single to right in the third. She stole second but was left there. The opponent moved the margin to 8-1 after three. Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) reached on a one-out error in the top of the fourth. She moved to second as Leifester singled back to the pitcher, but that was the furthest damage UD made.

Both sides committed four errors.

Texas Lutheran did not receive much harm from its miscues, besides the one overall run being unearned. A pair of two-RBI plays completed the scoring for the Bulldogs in a four-run fourth. Brayden Pinckard had the first knock and Mica tripled on her two-RBI result.


GAME 2 INFORMATION

Team Scores: University of Dallas (0), Texas Lutheran University (11) (Final 5 innings)

Team Records: Dallas (9-23, 4-12 SCAC), Texas Lutheran (29-4, 18-0 SCAC)

Pitcher Records: W) Raycroft (16-2) L) Martin (0-1)

NOTABLE STATISTICS

- Finch and Miller each posted a hit in two at bats.

- Miller singled in both games on the day and three games in the series. She was one-of-two players not to strikeout.

- Kotlar was the other starter. Ashley Nicholson (Reno, Nev.) came off the bench and had the other ball put in play.

- Lety Morales (Fontana, Calif.) pitched 3.2 innings of relief. She allowed eight runs (3 earned) on five hits. She walked four and struck out one.

- Texas Lutheran recorded eight hits. Gooden led the charge with the only multi-hit game (3-4).

- Gooden also drove in four runs and doubled. DeAnna Hernandez was the only other player with more than one ribbie. She had two and pinch hit with a double.

- Maitlin Raycroft tossed a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts in five innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Dallas surrendered a double-digit run total for the second time on the afternoon. The Bulldogs scored in three innings, with all of them having at least a trio of runs. A three-run first started things in the bottom half for the second game in a row. The Bulldogs had three hits. Gooden posted the first one with an RBI-single to center to break the scoreless game. Nichole Snow next tripled to right center to score Gooden from second after she had stolen during the at bat. Madisyn Cates singled for the third straight hit to right center to cap the RBI production.

The Crusaders kept TLU off the board in the second and maintained a three-run margin. In the third, the top-15 ranked opponent struck for a major five-run frame. Dallas allowed just two hits as Gooden doubled to right field for a pair of runs-batted-in. An out at third on Cassie Roche gave the Crusaders their second out. Prior to that defensive stop, a trio of errors had helped the Bulldogs get runs on. Four total miscues happened in the inning.

The first hit on the hit column for the guests came in the fourth. After the first nine were sat down, Finch singled on an infield hit to second to give Raycroft her first baserunner. Miller singled to center two batters later.

Texas Lutheran wrapped up the strong series with a three-run fourth.

UP NEXT

Dallas is home the remainder of the regular season with eight games total over a pair of four-game series. The first begins Thursday, April 13 versus Centenary College at 5 p.m.