Crusaders edged at LeTourneau in Non-Conference Action
LONGVIEW, Texas – The University of Dallas softball team dropped a pair of non-conference road games to LeTourneau University on Tuesday night. The offense was held in check with a run scored in each game of the twinbill. UD struggled to keep the Yellowjackets off the board in game one, which went six innings.
After allowing an early run, the Crusaders battled to knot the score and kept things in sight the rest of way. Unfortunately, the bats were silent as UD dropped its final non-conference games and went to 6-11 on the season in such games. LeTourneau improved to nine games over .500.
Game 1 Information (F/6 Innings)
Team Scores: Dallas (1), LeTourneau (9)
Team Records: Dallas (7-26), LeTourneau (21-13)
Pitcher Records: W) Luker (6-5), L) Kampo (3-10)
The Crusaders put two runners on with two outs in the first inning, as Julie Duenas (Houston, Texas) walked and Liz Cordova knocked her lone hit of the game. However, the Crusaders did not get a run in.
They would get on the board first with a run in the second inning. Consecutive hits got the frame started as Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) singled to right field and Bri Torres (Cypress, Texas) doubled to left field to put a pair in scoring position. Karina Campo (Georgetown, Texas) grounded out for an RBI, and that was all the scoring UD managed.
Campo was pitching in the circle for the guests. After a scoreless first, the Yellowjackets put at least one run up in the next five innings that led to an eventual run-rule. Taylor Nichols singled to left to score Kennedi Dillow to knot the score.
LeTourneau pushed ahead with three runs in the third inning that featured a single by Haydn Parker for a pair of RBI and double by Ethel Warren that plated Parker. After Macey Mize doubled home a run in the fourth, three more runs came in the fifth, and then another run on a sacrifice fly by Mize made it an eight-run difference in the sixth.
Dillow, Katelyn Trombley, and Nichols logged multiple hit games. Mize, Parker, Nichols, and Brianna Diaz formed a quartet of players with two ribbies. Diaz had the lone triple, while four doubles also were hit by LETU to mark the extra-base hits.
Tano led UD with a 2-for-3. Caitlyn Stevenson (Henderson, Nev.) notched the other hit for the Crusaders. Campo did end up striking out a personal-best five hitters in 5.1 innings. Three of the nine runs allowed were unearned.
Luker countered for LeTourneau in the circle with a complete six innings. She allowed the lone run and five hits. She walked one and struck out two.
Game 2 Information
Team Scores: Dallas (1), LeTourneau (3)
Team Records: Dallas (7-27), LeTourneau (22-13)
Pitcher Records: W) Akers (8-6), L) Watts (1-4)
Trailing 1-0 after one inning, the Crusaders evened the score with a run in the third inning. Duenas, who knocked a hit in her first three at bats, drove in the tying run with a single up the middle to plate Stevenson, who reached on catcher's interference.
The Yellowjackets had struck first with Parker hitting in Emilee Anderson on a single to center field. Parker would be involved on the next scoring play for the home side, as she hit a fly out to center. Silver Montgomery and Mize tagged from first and second to advance. On the play, a throw to third bidding for Montgomery got away and allowed the Yellowjackets to go back on top.
LETU added a run in the fifth inning, as Warren singled to second base and Kimmy Baker hustled from second to just barely beat the relay throw at home.
Maggie Watts (Arcadia, La.) turned in five innings in the start for Dallas. She allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, while not having a walk allowed and fanned three. Emily Martin (San Jose, Calif.) worked the sixth inning, and got out of a second and third one-out jam with a strikeout and groundout to short.
Mel Savala (Bryan, Texas), Stevenson, and Campo each tallied the other UD hits. Tano and Katelyn Lazarek (Seattle, Wash.) also reached via a walk.
Parker (2-3) and Haley Claterbaugh (2-2) had multi-hit performances, as the Yellowjackets had seven players with a hit in the boxscore. Samantha Akers threw a complete game for the home team, as she scattered six hits and two walks to go with one strikeout.
UP NEXT
Dallas wraps up the regular season with four conference games at Southwestern University on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. First pitch is at 1 p.m. and 12 p.m. on the respective dates.