ABILENE – Melanie Padilla hit an extra inning home run to for Incarnate Word as the Cardinals knocked off ACU, 7-6 in the rubber game of a Lone Star Conference South Division series Saturday afternoon at Wells Field.
The Wildcats fall to 20-16 overall and 6-3 in league play as they drop their first conference series of the season at the hands of Incarnate Word. The Cardinals improved to 18-14 on the season and 5-4 in LSC South Division play.
ACU jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first and extended their lead adding a run in the third to make it 3-1. A third inning outburst would give the Wildcats a 6-1 lead behind a solid pitching performance from
Shelby Hall.
Missy Mendoza led off the third with a single and moved into scoring position when she stole second. Tiana Tuieni would pick up her only RBI scoring Mendoza on a single to left field. ACU would pick up their final two runs on back-to-back hits on a double from
Sarah Martinez, scoring Tuieni and a single from Valentina Nabayan who was 2 for 2 with 3 RBIs on the day.
However the Wildcats' bats would go silent over the final four innings while the Cardinal offense came alive. Padilla would hit her first of two home runs on the day recording three of her 4 RBIs in the UIW sixth inning to tie the game 6-6.
Both teams would come up short in the seventh sending the game into extra innings when Padilla blasted her second long ball of the day a solo shot giving the Cardinals a 7-6 win.
Shelby Hall picked up a no-decision going 6.1 innings allowing six runs on 20 hits as she also struck out five.
Brittany Rexroat gave up the home run to pick up both losses in the series as she pitched 1.2 innings of relief for the Wildcats.
ACU will host St. Edward's in a non-conference double header at Wells Field on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Wildcats will take break next weekend from conference action as they travel to San Angelo for the annual Lone Star Conference Crossover Tournament April 1-3.
