BOX SCORE - GAME 1
BOX SCORE - GAME 2
HOOVER, Ala. – LeTourneau's softball team dropped a pair of games Saturday at the Birmingham-Southern Classic. The YellowJackets lost the first game to No. 1 ranked DePauw, 9-4, before falling to No. 5 ranked Birmingham-Southern, 8-7, in the second game at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
In game one, DePauw (1-0) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over LETU (0-5, 0-3 American Southwest Conference), heading into the second inning.
Lauren Wilking singled to the pitcher to load the bases for the Jackets at the top of the second.
Kylie Grisham cut the Tigers lead to one after she collected an RBI on a walk, sending
Hannah Welch in for a score.
The YellowJackets took advantage of a fielding error to left field by DU, bringing in two runs from
Madelyn Tannery and Grisham in the top of the fourth. LeTourneau led 3-2 moving to the bottom of the fourth.
A homer to center field from DePauw's Cami Henry brought in three runs, quickly snatching the lead back for the Tigers, 5-3. DU tacked on two more runs before exiting the inning, extending its leads to four.
DePauw singled in the bottom of the fifth, bringing in two more runs for a 9-3 lead.
Macy Clevenger doubled to right center, allowing
Isabella Tresca to cross home plate for a push at a comeback in the top of the decisive inning, but it wasn't enough for the Jackets to overcome the deficit.
Clevenger led LETU with two hits to go along with an RBI, while Wilking also tallied two hits. Grisham had an RBI.
Mickenzie Murry and
Jade Merrell each had a hit in the contest.
Bailey Richey took the loss for the Jackets, pitching 4.2 innings with three strikeouts.
LETU jumped on the No. 5 team in the country Birmingham-Southern early to begin game two, cranking back-to-back homers in the top of the first. Grisham sent one over the fence first with
Alysa Torres following with a bomb of her own to left field. Murry singled to center field, moving Tannery across home plate for a score to collect an RBI. The YellowJackets took a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the first.
The Panthers of BSC responded at the bottom half of the inning with two runs of its own. Birmingham-Southern put together a three-run inning in the third, moving ahead of the Jackets, 5-3.
The duo of Grisham and Torres struck again for LETU in the top of the fourth. Grisham singled through the left side to bring home Clevenger, while Torres doubled to center field to allow Wilking to cross home plate, tying the contest at five.
After back-to-back no score innings in the game, the Panthers capitalized on an LETU error to take a 6-5 advantage in the fifth inning. The BSC lead didn't last long as the YellowJackets stung back quickly in the following inning. A stealthy
Kiley Banks dashed across home plate for a score after an error by the catcher. Torres found a sweet spot in the right center of the field, tallying her fourth RBI as Grisham went home to give LeTourneau a 7-6 lead.
The YellowJackets blanked Birmingham-Southern in the bottom of the sixth but couldn't take advantage in the top of the seventh to extend its one run lead. A single to right field by BSC's Alyssa Fowler in the decisive inning advanced a runner to third and sent a runner home to tie the game at seven. A wild pitch from LETU ended the game for the Jackets as the Panthers found opportunity to go home for a score.
Torres went 4-4 at the plate with three RBIs, while Grisham went 2-3 with two RBIs.
Hailee Leger took the loss for the Jackets but not before striking out four batters.
LETU returns for the second and final day of the BSC Classic Sunday as it takes on Huntingdon at 11 a.m. and No. 13 Mount St. Joseph at 1 p.m. at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
