Heartbreak Ending for Softball in Conference Tournament
GEORGETOWN, Texas – A tough ending to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament occurred on Saturday, as the No. 6 Seed University of Dallas softball team fell in walk-off fashion to the No. 4 Seed Centenary College in an elimination game.
The Crusaders blanked Centenary through six innings, but were unable to hold off the higher seed for the upset. The Ladies rallied for all their runs with two outs, capped by a Wendy Gillet grand slam to center field.
Dallas took the lead in the second inning on a Katelyn Lazarek double, and plated two more runs in the sixth. Otherwise it was a pitcher's duel between UD's Maggie Watts (Arcadia, La.) and Centenary's Nichole Aldridge for most of the contest.
GAME INFORMATION
Team Scores: Dallas (3), Centenary (6)
Team Records: Dallas (8-32), Centenary (19-21)
Pitcher Records: W) Aldridge (9-9), L) Watts (5-15)
For the second time this tournament, the Crusaders went up first. Lazarek ripped a double to right center for her fifth RBI on the season. Liz Cordova (Oklahoma City, Okla.) scored on the play.
That was the only run by either side until the last two innings. Centenary had a runner in scoring position in all-but one inning. The fourth was the lone perfect inning for Watts. However, she wiggled out of trouble to keep the Crusaders up by the narrow margin. This included escaping a bases-loaded jam in the second.
Dallas didn't threaten much again until the sixth inning when Caitlyn Stevenson (Henderson, Nev.) tripled to right. A one-out RBI base knock by the team leader Gabbie Underwood (La Verne, Calif.) doubled the edge. Mel Savala (Bryan, Texas) laced a two-out single into left center for the team's third run.
Savala recorded the only multi-hit game for the Crusaders with a 2-for-3, which the other knock was a double.
The Ladies started their final inning with a groundout. After Payton LeBlanc reached an infield single, she would be retired at second on a fielder's choice. Another infield single kept the inning going and started a stretch of five batters reaching safely. RBI singles by Sydney Hurley and Cassie Gonzales cut the score to 3-2.
With the tying run at third and winning run at second, Gillet touched them all on a 0-1 pitch that advanced the higher seed.
Watts threw 6.2 innings in her second tournament game in as many days. She allowed 11 hits, six runs, a walk, and struck out three. 14 of her outs were groundouts.
Anna Dunn and Gonzalez each went 3-for-4 for Centenary at the plate. Dunn doubled and stole a base.
Aldridge yielded three runs on eight hits in a complete game. She walked none and struck out three.
The Ladies later went on to face the No. 2 Seed Schreiner University that afternoon.