Lady Crusaders get Brooms out at Austin College; Extend Season-Long Streak
SHERMAN, Texas – The University of Dallas softball team produced two double figure hit performances to give the team three in the series after being held to under five in the series-opener. A season-high in scoring led the Lady Crusaders to at least a series-win in 15-1 fashion on Sunday's first game of the doubleheader. An 8-3 finale secured Dallas' first conference sweep this spring and extended a season-long winning streak to seven contests. This conference win total is the quickest for the program to reach in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) during this 16-game span.
GAME ONE INFORMATION
Team Scores: University of Dallas (15), Austin College (1) (Final 5 Innings)
Team Records: Dallas (15-14, 10-5 SCAC), Austin (13-18, 3-12 SCAC)
Pitcher Records: W) Lee (12-8), L) Wright (4-6)
Dallas got three runs to jump start the offense and would etch multiple run innings in all but one of the five-inning run-ruled game. The big results were the five-run second and fifth innings.
Junior Lyda Tesauro (Hollywood, Fla.) got the scoring started with an RBI double to left field and freshman Roma Thornton (Wharton, Texas) scored after singling through the left side in the previous at-bat. With one out still, senior Erin Begle (Houston, Texas) singled to shortstop but Tesauro stayed at second. Freshman Katie Antigua (Elm Grove, Calif.) singled Tesauro on the RBI-hit and Begle went to third on the play. She scored when next batter, freshman Stephanie Cervantes (Temecula, Calif.), hit a sacrifice fly out for the third RBI out of the past four hitters.
That was a four-hit inning to start the game and seven UD batters came up. In the second inning, the visitors had 10 batters hit, and matched five runs for as many hits while taking advantage of two Austin College errors. Freshman Samantha Laberge (Round Rock, Texas) started the inning with a single, and junior Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas) increased the advantage to 5-0 on a two-run homer to left. That was Kotlar's third homer, which tied Begle for the club-lead at the time. Thornton tripled after junior Avery Finch (Jamul, Calif.) reached on a fielding error prior to that. Finch scored from second after advancing on the first baseman's miscue. Begle and Cervantes also had ribbies to increase the Navy and White lead to 8-0.
Thornton doubled to right center to drive in Finch and Kotlar, as Dallas lofted its advantage to double-digits (10-0) in the third. A scoreless fourth broke the seven-inning streak of at least a run scored dating back to yesterday for the Lady Crusaders. Five more runs in the fifth sealed this victory for Dallas. Begle pounded her career-best fourth homer of the season to regain the team-lead. It was a two-run blast. Finch contributed a triple to right center and drove in the final pair of UD's season-best offensive display.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- A season-high 16 hits were notched in this one. The first five hitters combined for 12 of them.
- Finch and Thornton set the table with three knocks apiece. Thornton was perfect at the plate, while Tesauro, Begle, Antigua, and Kotlar each had two.
- UD extra base hits: Tesauro had two doubles and Thornton added one. Finch and Thornton smacked a triple apiece, and Begle and Kotlar launched homers.
- Begle and Thornton led both sides with three runs batted in. Thornton it was a season-high.
- Begle and Kotlar scored three times for season-bests. Finch, Thornton, Tesauro, and Laberge crossed home twice.
- Finch picked up two steals to give her 25 overall. UD had five total.
- Junior Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) went five innings and only had one blemish on the Katherine Wright home run in the first. Limited AC to three hits and struck out two.
- Wright homered and was perfect at the plate (2-2). Amanda Nolting added the other hit, a double, in her only at-bat.
- Wright started and allowed 13 runs (8 earned) on 14 hits in four innings. She walked two and struck out four. Victoria Herrera struck out the side in her one inning of work, but she gave up two runs on two hits with a walk.
GAME TWO INFORMATION
Team Scores: University of Dallas (8), Austin College (3)
Team Records: Dallas (16-14, 11-5 SCAC), Austin (13-19, 3-13 SCAC)
Pitcher Records: W) Parks (4-6), L) Herrera (4-9)
The bats for UD did not hesitate to get rolling again in the first inning of the series finale, putting three on the board in the first inning for the second game in a row. Finch tripled to right center to start the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Thornton. Antigua homered for her third of the season and drove in Begle on the squad's third two-run shot of the twinbill.
Austin College got a run back in the second inning. Chelsea Easley singled through the left side and stole second before Felicia Rivera singled up the middle to get the home side on the scoreboard.
A run for the Lady Crusaders in the fourth inning increased the margin back to three, and a trio of runs in the sixth would give enough cushion as the 'Roos tacked a run in their final two trips to hit in the game. In the sixth, Dallas received a two-RBI double to left field by Kotlar and Thornton grounded out for an RBI that scored Kotlar – stole third a batter prior. Thornton combined for five runs driven in overall on Sunday.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Dallas outhit the 'Roos 11-8. Begle, Weatherford, and Kotlar head had multiple hit games with two apiece.
- Kotlar produced three RBI to finish with eight in the series. Thornton and Antigua chipped in two ribbies each.
- Freshman Keali Weatherford (Humble, Texas) scored two runs. She led Dallas with a season-high three stolen bases.
- UD managed five extra base hits. Weatherford had the other double with Kotlar.
- Freshman Sukie Turner (Valley Center, Calif.) went yard to center field for her first collegiate home run in the seventh.
- Parks earned the win going the distance. She allowed three runs (2 earned) on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
- Austin College had Easley go a perfect 3-for-3 and walk once to lead the lineup. Emily Low added two hits. Easley homered and scored twice. Kierra Gaither added an RBI.
- Both teams left eight runners on base.
- Herrera was saddled with eight runs allowed on 11 hits in seven innings. She walked two and fanned seven.
UP NEXT
Dallas is home one final series on April 8-9 versus first place Texas Lutheran University. Begle, Bailey DiStefano (Bryan, Texas), and Ciara Stewart (Crockett, Texas) will be recognized between games on Saturday for "Senior Day."