Dallas Softball Splits Doubleheader on Senior Night
Celebrating senior night the Dallas softball team took the first game of a doubleheader 3-1 against the LeTourneau University Yellow Jacket, before falling in game two 8-4. Tonight's games marked the final time that seniors Amber Adams (Dallas, TX/Dallas Christian H.S.) and Whitney Thomas (Fort Worth, TX/Nolan Catholic) would be able to play a official game at Crusader Field, and the duo was honored between the doubleheader with their parent's beside them.
In game one UD started off great by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the first and adding a run in their half of the second inning, and Thomas sealed the deal on the mound. In the first inning sophomore infielder Rebecca Burns (River Ridge, LA/John Curtis Christian H.S.) drove in 2 runs with a double that brought in Adams and junior outfielder Jesse Allen (Madison, MS/St. Andrew's Episcopal). LeTourneau scored in the top of the second but the Crusaders scored again in the bottom of the frame when freshman pitcher/infielder Liana Reveles (Austin, TX/James Bowie H.S.) reached home on a LeTourneau error after leading off the inning with a double of her own. Allen, freshman infielder Morgan Smith (Irving, TX/Bishop Dunne), and sophomore outfielder Jessica Mollner (St. Paul, MN/St. Andrew's Episcopal School) all pushed the LeTourneau defense and picked up steals for UD. Mollner also added a double in the 2 run victory.
Pitching at home for the last time in her career Thomas then ensured that her team would get the win by shutting down the Yellow Jacket batters. Backed by solid fielding, Thomas was able to shut LeTourneau out for the remaining five innings. At the end of the night LeTourneau had only gotten six hits and their only score was the unearned run in the bottom of the second. Thomas' threw her seventh complete game of the year in the 7 inning affair. Aside from giving up 6 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 1, Thomas faced 27 batters to improve to 8-8 on the year.
The second game didn't start off as well for UD as LeTourneau grabbed the 2-0 lead after a scoreless two innings. They added 4 more runs in the next inning to jump out to the 6-0 lead before UD started to comeback with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the third. LeTourneau scored another run in the fifth, and Dallas countered back by putting up another 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth to make the game 7-4 in LeTourneau's favor. The Yellow Jackets then added a run in what who turn out to be their final inning, and the LeTourneau relievers shut down the UD offense to preserve the win.
Freshman infielder Sandra Gallegos (Houston, TX/Lamar H.S.) led UD at the plate with a 2 run double in the sixth inning to drive in Thomas and junior infielder Cheryl Hinze (Houston, TX/Langham Creek H.S.). Thomas added the other UD RBI on a solo home run to left field in the second inning, and Hinze doubled later in the frame. Thomas and Hinze both scored twice in the loss, and speedster Allen added to her team lead with 2 steals to give her 19 on the year. Mollner also stole a bag for UD. The pitcher of record for Dallas was Reveles who struggled in the complete game. Although she was straddled with the loss, she only gave up 1 earned run in the loss.
With the home schedule behind them, the 17-15 Crusaders look for success on the road for the six regular season game remaining. Dallas remains in state for a doubleheader in Brownwood, TX against Howard Payne University on April 24 before heading to sunny California for doubleheaders May 1 and 2 against Chapman University and La Sierra University. The April 24 doubleheader against Howard Payne starts at 2:00pm.