Crusaders played twinbill at Concordia on Wednesday.
Crusaders played twinbill at Concordia on Wednesday.

Softball falls in Non-Conference Doubleheader

AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Dallas softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games at Concordia University on Wednesday. The offense continued to scuffle on this road trip, as the Tornados held UD hitless in game one. The Crusaders posted eight hits in the nightcap and pushed a pair of runs across in their first and last at bat. However, Concordia scored all its runs in two innings to finish the sweep at Tornado SB Field.


(Game 1 Information)

Team Scores: Dallas (0), Concordia (2)

Team Records: Dallas (6-21), Concordia (16-13)

Pitcher Records: W) Russell (7-8), L) Watts (3-10)

Haley Dennett and Summer Harper punched RBI-singles in the home half of the first inning to lift Concordia to a small lead. The Tornados only tallied six singles, with half of them occurring in that first frame.

That was plenty of support for Jorden Russell, who went the distance in the no-hit shutout. She only allowed a walk to Haley Golden (Lake Dallas, Texas) in the fourth inning. The Crusaders did benefit from three errors by CTX's defense, but only had one runner in scoring position in the contest. Russell also struck out five in the feat. 

Brittani Whitten and Dennett led the Tornados with a 2-for-3 and scored the runs.

Maggie Watts (Arcadia, La.) threw five shutout innings after she allowed the pair of runs in the first. She scattered six hits, did not allow a walk, and struck out one.


(Game 2 Information)

Team Scores: Dallas (2), Concordia (7)

Team Records: Dallas (6-22), Concordia (17-13)

Pitcher Records: W) Verinsky (3-2), L) Galvan (3-11)

The Crusaders offense got run in their first inning of the next game. Alicia Enciso (Corona, Calif.) started things off with a walk. She advanced to second on a one-out single by Julie Duenas (Houston, Texas). After a second out was made, Liz Cordova (Oklahoma City, Okla.) poked a single through the left side to give UD the lead.

After keeping Concordia off the board in the bottom half of the inning, the home team exploded with four runs on five hits in the second to go on top the rest of the way. Mycahia Howard doubled to right center to even the score. A bunted hit to the pitcher by Morgan Loredo broke the tie for CTX. A couple more infield hits by Whitten and Diana Payne finished off the run production that inning.

Dallas countered with two hits in the top of the third, but aggressive base running cost the team with an out at home and at third.

Three runs in the sixth for the Tornados put the game out of reach.  

A sacrifice fly by Caitlyn Stevenson (Henderson, Nev.) finished off the final score.

Cordova and Duenas each went 2-for-3 at the plate. Enciso, Lauren Galvan (Bryan, Texas), and Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) added base knocks. Tano stole a base and scored the other Crusader run.

Galvan threw 1.1 innings in the start. She allowed four runs and hits with a walk. Watts added 4.1 innings of relief, yielding seven hits and 3 runs (0 earned). She walked two.

Harper doubled in both her hits and was part of a quartet with two-hit performances. Whitten, Anissa Garcia, and Harper rounded out the unit. Loredo contributed a triple.

Simone Langland threw three innings in the start. She allowed five hits, one run, one walk, and struck out two. Taylor Verinsky was credited the win after going the last four innings. She allowed the other run with three hits, a walk, and picked up a strikeout.

UP NEXT

Dallas resumes conference play with its final road trip of the regular season. The Crusaders will be at Centenary College on April 14th-15th. The first doubleheader has a 1 p.m. first pitch, and the final day is slated for a 12 p.m. start.