ALPINE, Texas- Beginning the weekend with a thrilling nine-inning 2-1 victory, the LeTourneau University softball team would fall by a final score of 7-6 in game two to earn a day one split at Sul Ross State University on Friday, March 8th.
The split brings the YellowJackets to a 10-5 standing on the season and an 8-3 record in the American Southwest Conference while the Lobos maintained their .500 record on the season at 6-6 with a 4-6 mark in ASC action.
Game One:
The Lobos broke the silence early-on bringing one across in the bottom of the first off one hit and one YellowJacket error. LETU threatened in the top of the fourth after they saw just their second baserunner of the game, but SRSU would escape the jam as the YellowJackets were unable to push a run across.
LeTourneau finally capitalized in the top of the sixth, recording their first hit of the contest as
Haydn Parker scored
Kennedi Dillow off a single to center field. With the score tied at one, neither team was able to produce a game-winning tally, forcing extra-innings.
The defensive battle continued in the eighth as just one hit was recorded between the two squads to keep things deadlocked at 1-1 and push things to a ninth inning of play. Dillow used her bat to get things started for the YellowJackets in the top of the ninth, reaching base on a single to center field while
Maycie Walton followed by reaching base on a Lobo error.
Hana Bonner got the job done with one out, laying down a bunt single to score Dillow from third and give the YellowJackets their first lead of the contest. Sul Ross escaped further damage by turning a double play to end the inning but would be unable to solve
Samantha Akers who tossed a scoreless final inning to lead her team to a 2-1 victory.
Entering the game in the fifth inning, Akers earned her fifth win of the year from the circle for the YellowJackets, giving up just two hits in five innings of work. Jodie Vaughn took the loss for the Lobos despite a ten-strike out performance and holding the YellowJackets to just three hits through nine innings. Dillow, Parker and Bonner each recorded one hit for the three total YellowJacket hits in the game.
Game Two:
Both offenses showed up early in game two, as Sul Ross used three hits to jump to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. LETU looked to match that in the top of the second when
Ashley Crawford led off the inning with a double down the third base line. Walton followed, bringing Crawford around to score with a single to right field.
Ethel Warren would then put the YellowJackets on top 3-2 when she slammed a two-RBI single up the middle to score freshmen
Kiley Banks and
Taylor Nichols.
LETU came alive again in the top of the fourth, when back-to-back-to-back RBI hits from Warren, Dillow and Parker put LETU up 6-2. Sul Ross made up some ground in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the deficit to two after bringing across two runs off four hits to make it 6-4 heading into the final two innings of action.
The sticks remained relatively quiet in the final two innings as LeTourneau would maintain their two-run cushion and look to pick up their second win of the day. Sul Ross would have other ideas however as the Lobos ripped two singles and a double to open the inning and deadlock things at 6-6. Following a pitching change and pinch-runner, SRSU would end the game two batters later in walk-off fashion when an infield single scored the winning run to give Sul Ross a 7-6 victory.
Akers would be unable to improve her record for a second time on Friday as the junior took the loss in the circle after giving up five hits and three runs in two innings of work. 28 total hits were recorded between the two teams, with Sul Ross holding a 16-12 advantage. Warren led the YellowJackets with three hits, while Bonner and Crawford followed with two each.
With a series victory still up for grabs, the YellowJackets will return to action again tomorrow to face the Lobos in the rubber match with first pitch slated for a 12 p.m.
