AUSTIN, Texas- After a sixth inning rally pushed the game into extra innings, the LeTourneau University softball team fell short of a series victory by suffering an 8-4, nine-inning loss to Concordia University Texas on Monday, February 25th.
The loss drops the YellowJackets to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in American Southwest Conference play. Concordia improves to .500 on the season with a 6-6 overall mark and a 3-3 conference record.
Freshman
Bailey Richey would dominate the circle in the opening three innings of play, allowing zero hits and striking out four batters while facing the minimum. CTX would eventually break the scoreless tie in the fourth, scoring one run off two hits but would strand two runners in the process. The Tornado offense would strike again in the top of the fifth, when a pair of doubles tacked on two more runs to stretch their lead to 4-0.
Being held to hitless through five innings, LETU would finally get their bats hot when freshman
Ashley Crawford led off the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle. A Tornado error and
Emilee Anderson single would bring the first run across for the YellowJackets. With the bases loaded,
Kennedi Dillow would add to the total tacking on two more with a single to left center field. Two batters later, LeTourneau's
Haydn Parker would knot the game at four with a single to right field before seeing the YellowJacket rally end as the Tornado's would retire the final three hitters of the inning.
Neither team would push across any runs in the seventh as LETU would strand one runner off one hit to send the game into extra innings. The offensive woes would continue as there would be zero hits seen by either team in the eighth inning. Concordia would flip the switch in the ninth, bringing across four runs off four hits and one LETU error to secure an 8-4 lead. With their backs against the wall, the LETU offense would fail to make up ground as CTX retired the side in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the series 2-1.
After replacing Richey in the circle in the top of the fifth,
Leigh Luker would take her first loss of the season after allowing four runs off five hits in 4.2 innings of work. Crawford would lead the YellowJackets offensively, collecting two of LETU's five base hits. The Tornado's recorded nine hits and five doubles in the contest. Both squads would commit two errors through nine innings of action.
The YellowJackets will return to Longview to continue ASC play against the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor beginning with a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, March 1st. The Crusaders will enter Friday's doubleheader holding a 5-5 overall record and are coming off a series sweep against the University of the Ozarks.
