Softball starts Road Weekend with Pair of Close Setbacks
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of Dallas softball team dropped both games on Saturday by a run in the Jimmy John's Classic hosted at Huntingdon College. The Crusaders allowed three runs in the sixth to College of Mount St. Joseph to start the day with a setback in a neutral site matchup.
In the game with Huntingdon, things turned into a marathon as both teams scored two runs through seven innings. With the international tiebreaker rule in effect starting in extras, teams placed a runner on second to start each turn to bat. After both sides traded a run in the eighth and ninth, the home team earned the walk-off.
(Game 1)
Team Scores: Mount St. Joseph (3), Dallas (2)
Team Records: Mount St. Joseph (2-0), Dallas (1-4)
Pitcher Records: W) Kauf (1-0), L) Watts (0-3)
Dallas scratched across a run in the second and fourth innings. An error helped UD break the scoreless game. Stephanie Cervantes (Temecula, Calif.) tripled home Liz Cordova (Oklahoma City, Okla.) to make it a 2-0 ballgame. Cordova (2-3) was the lone player in the contest to have multiple hits.
Maggie Watts (Arcadia, La.) had only stranded one baserunner in each inning leading up to the sixth. All three of the Lions hits in the game occurred that frame, and propelled them on top of Dallas. With the bases loaded thanks to a walk, single, and hit by pitch; Sarah Miller singled in the first run. A sacrifice fly out by Brandy Bunch allowed Olivia Quick to knot the game. An error on the play allowed the leading run to come in as well, which was Savannah Sturgill.
Other than that inning blemish, Watts faced 30 batters in seven innings. She yielded three runs (2 earned) on three hits. She walked and struck out two.
The Crusaders committed five errors compared to two charged to their opposition. Batters 2-8 in the lineup all picked up a hit for the Crusaders. Mackenzie Tano (Wylie, Texas) and Caitlyn Stevenson (Henderson, Nev.) each walked once and swiped a base.
Brianna Kauf earned the win by throwing 6 innings in the start. She allowed all eight hits, but was not charged an earned run. She also walked two and struck out four. Sarah Miller walked on in the seventh with two outs, but got the final out on a foul pop.
(Game 2) (Final 10 Innings)
Team Scores: Dallas (4), Huntingdon (5)
Team Records: Dallas (1-5), Huntingdon (5-7)
Pitcher Records: W) Hunt (3-2), L) Galvan (1-2)
Both teams were only able to score in one inning through the first seven, with the Crusaders taking the advantage in the fourth. Cordova singled and advanced on an error by the left fielder. Cervantes, who led off with a walk would come around to score. Gabbie Underwood (La Verne, Calif.) followed with a single to place the runners on the corners. With one out two batters later, Lauren Galvan (Bryan, Texas) scored Cordova on a sacrifice fly.
Huntingdon responded with a two-run, inside the park homer by Alyssa Singleterry. That was the lone extra base hit by either side in this game. The Crusaders edged their foe by one (6-5) in the hits column.
Dallas claimed a lead in each of the first extra innings. Both occasions, the guests advanced the runner to third and were able to manufacture the run further on an out. The Hawks countered back each time, and finally were able to stop UD in the 10th. With the bases loaded, Maggie Porter was hit by a pitch to end the thriller.
Galvan pitched nine innings and allowed five runs (2 earned) on five hits to go with a walk and four strikeouts. Her counterpart Madison Hunt threw 10 innings and allowed just one earned run on six hits with a walk. She struck out seven.
Cordova and Underwood each had 2-for-4 performances to pace the Crusaders offense. Cordova has notched three multi-hit games in four appearances in the early going this season. Stevenson and Galvan registered the other base knocks.
Singleterry had the only multi-hit game for the other side. She scored twice, as did Claire Tomberlin.
UP NEXT
Dallas plays these same two teams tomorrow in the same order. First pitch against its neutral site foe will be at 10 a.m. The game with host school Huntingdon will follow.