ABILENE – Fresh off its first series sweep of the Lone Star Conference season, the Abilene Christian softball team will look to maintain its momentum on the road this week with games at Angelo State and Eastern New Mexico.
The Wildcats and Rambelles begin their three-game series with a Tuesday night doubleheader at the ASU Softball Complex at 5 p.m., and will then conclude it at ACU's Poly Wells Field next Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. In between, the Wildcats will visit the Zias for a weekend series in Portales, N.M. with game times set for 2 p.m. Friday (DH) and 12 p.m. Saturday.
ACU took a big step in solidifying its spot at the upcoming Lone Star Conference Championships by sweeping Cameron last weekend by scores of 10-2, 5-4 and 10-2. Those three victories pushed the Wildcats' overall record to 24-20 and conference mark to 8-10, which is good for seventh place, 2.0 games ahead of the eighth-place Aggies and Zias.
The Wildcats did not miss much at the plate vs. Cameron pitching, as they batted a combined .379 with four home runs, three doubles and 25 runs scored. ACU also swiped five bases in lifting its season total to 24.
Juniors
Madison Buckley and
Lyndi Smith were close to unstoppable as the duo went 13-for-19 with 11 RBI and 10 runs. Buckley alone hit .800 and got the offense rolling in game one with a first-inning, two-run home run, while Smith batted .556 and went deep twice for her eighth and ninth home runs of the season. Smith's three-run home run on Saturday clinched ACU's second run-rule victory of the weekend.
Additionally, Buckley's performance extended her season-best hitting streak to seven games, during which she has seen her batting average rise 74 points. She is now tied for third on the team at .309, but still 90 points behind senior center fielder
Keanna Winkfield, who went 3 for 8 vs. the Aggies with four runs, three walks, two stolen bases and two RBI.
In the circle, senior
Caitlyn Crain appeared in all three games vs. Cameron and went 2-0 with a save. The two wins improved her season mark to 11-9, while her fourth save of the year tied her for first in the LSC with West Texas A&M's Lauren Heinrich.
Crain allowed just two runs on eight hits with three strikeouts to earn the win in game one, and then in game two, she struck out a pair and left the game-tying run stranded at second base after getting the final out on a foul pop-up to the catcher
Crain again started game three and surrendered a pair of unearned runs though 5.0 innings of work with three strikeouts.
Crain is now ranked among the conference leaders in nine categories after last weekend, including opposing batting average (.248), strikeouts (104), innings pitched (124.2), wins (11) and ERA (2.64).
Angelo State starts its week at 26-14 overall and 11-7 vs. the LSC after losing two of three games last weekend vs. No. 15 Texas Woman's. The Rambelles' series loss dropped them into a tie for third place with Midwestern State and 3.0 games behind the first-place Pioneers.
Kacie Easley (.411) and Rachel Moore (.389) have been ASU's top hitters this season, while Sandra Serna is the Rambelles' top pitcher with a 17-4 record and 2.59 ERA.
The Zias (14-33, 6-12 LSC) last weekend snapped a four-game losing streak by winning their last two games vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville, but they remain tied for that final postseason berth with Cameron, who they'll meet the final weekend of the season in Lawton, Okla.
Before the Wildcats get to town this weekend, Eastern New Mexico first will have to visit Canyon for a doubleheader vs. second-place and nationally ranked No. 2 West Texas A&M.
ACU defeated the Zias twice earlier this season at the Whitten Inn Classic, which lifted the Wildcats' all-time series record vs. Eastern New Mexico to 37-24. Buckley hit .333 vs. the Zias with a double, home run and five RBI, while senior
Shelby Hall went 2-0 against them with seven strikeouts through 7.2 innings pitched. Hall allowed only two hits and one unearned run vs. Eastern.
