Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 LONGVIEW, Texas - On a day that saw senior
Macey Mize and fallen military service members honored prior to the start of game one, the
LeTourneau University softball team would earn wins over Texas-Dallas by scores of 9-4 and 5-3 at the LETU Softball Field in Longview, Texas on Friday, April 12th.
Reaching the 20-win plateau, LETU is now 20-13 overall and 17-10 in the American Southwest Conference and has secured a winning record in the regular-season. Texas-Dallas falls to 14-16 overall on the year and 10-14 in ASC play after going 0-3 this weekend against the YellowJackets.
Game One:
Runs were much easier to come by in Friday's opener as an error with one out in the bottom of the first allowed
Taylor Nichols to come home and give the YellowJackets a 1-0 lead over the Comets. UTD would respond with three runs on four hits in the top of the second to take their first and only lead of the game as two of the three runs scored with two outs in the inning.
The score would remain a 3-1 Comet lead going to the bottom of the fourth when the LeTourneau bats would awake in a big way. Six straight batters would reach base to start the inning for LETU as two costly errors for UTD extended the inning and allowed LeTourneau to score six unearned runs before leaving the bases loaded to end the inning up 8-3.
YellowJacket pitching would take over moving forward as a five-run lead would be more than enough for starter
Samantha Akers, allowing just one additional run to Texas-Dallas in the top of the sixth while getting the run back from the LeTourneau offense in the bottom of the sixth to earn the five-run win.
LETU's nine-runs would come on 10 hits, with nine of the hits coming as singles. The only extra-base hit of the game would come off the bat of
Haydn Parker with a double to go along with a game-high three RBI.
Game Two:
Not as many fireworks would occur in the series finale as LeTourneau would once again take a 1-0 lead after the first inning thanks in part to a double steal that allowed Mize to steal home. Texas-Dallas would get the run back in the top of the second by using a leadoff double and RBI infield single to knot things at 1-1 but would leave the bases loaded as the YellowJackets escaped an early jam.
A solo home run in the top of the third allowed UTD to grab a 2-1 lead as opportunities remained limited before seeing back-to-back hits to start the bottom of the third allow Mize to drive in
Kennedi Dillow to tie things at 2-2. LETU would keep things going with a stolen base and
Ethel Warren RBI single to re-claim the lead at 3-2 following three innings of play.
Texas-Dallas would then strand a pair of runners in the top of the fourth, allowing the YellowJackets to keep momentum and turn it into another run on a Dillow two-out RBI single. The 4-2 LeTourneau lead wouldn't even last an inning however as Texas-Dallas would put together three base hits in the fifth to scrape across one run and cut the lead back down to one at 4-3.
Another big insurance run would be driven in for LETU in the bottom of the fifth as Warren would drive home Mize after a leadoff double from the senior, allowing LeTourneau to go up multiple runs once more. The Comets would threaten to get the run back in the top of the sixth but leave a leadoff single at third as a groundout and flyout ended the inning with the YellowJackets getting out of things unscathed.
Needing to hold off Texas-Dallas once more, LETU would see UTD put a runner on with a leadoff double to bring the game-tying runner to the plate with no outs in the seventh before a quick flyout and groundout put the Comets down to their final out. A groundout to third base would end the game and allow LeTourneau to pick up a big series sweep.
Two pitchers would combine for the LETU win as
Bailey Richey would start the game and throw the first 2.1 innings of the game before
Leigh Luker would come on in relief and toss the final 4.2 innings of action to improve to 5-5 on the year. Mize would make the most of one of her final home games of her career by going three-for-four in the contest and driving in one run while also scoring three times as LETU would pound out 14 hits in the contest. Warren also had a big day for the YellowJackets, going three-for-three with two RBI.
What's Next?
The non-conference and home finales are next up for LeTourneau as the YellowJackets will host the University of Dallas in a 5 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday, April 16th. Due to an ASC bye-week during the final week of the regular-season, the doubleheader with the Crusaders will kick off a five-game week to conclude the regular-season for LETU.
