Box Score
LUBBOCK, Texas - Seniors
Courtney Flanary and
Lyndi Smith went a combined 5-for-8 with a home run and three RBI, but the Bears of Northern Colorado countered with four roundtrippers en route to a 10-6 victory over Abilene Christian Friday at the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic hosted by Texas Tech.
Bears shortstop Erica Dick led off the game with a solo home run to left field off Wildcat starter
Peyton Mosley (0-5). Kaitlin Flynn then hit the first of her two home runs to tie the score at 2-2 in the second, and Mikayla Duffy drove in Northern Colorado's 10th and final run on a shot to center field.
Flynn's second shot of the afternoon was part of the Bears' four-run fifth inning that put them ahead at 9-3.
After Dick gave the Bears their first lead of the ball game, ACU capitalized on an error by the UNC shortstop that helped lead to two unearned runs in the first inning.
Paige Stevens led off the frame with a walk and advanced to second on a throwing error by Dick, but was later put out at third base on a fielder's choice.
Demi McNulty, however, made it to second base on Smith's ground ball and came home on the first of Flanary's three singles that tied the score at 1-1. Smith then hurried home on a ground ball to second base that gave the Wildcats' a brief 2-1 lead.
UNC tied the score with two outs in the next half inning and went up for good in the fourth, scoring three times on three hits, the last of which was a two-run single to left by Morgan Yuhas.
The Bears continued to hit well against the Wildcat bullpen as
Emily Seidel allowed three hits to the first four batters she faced in the fifth.
Hannah Null then came in and surrendered the home runs hit by Flynn and Duffy.
ACU certainly had its chances to keep pace with the Bears by putting runners on base in every inning, but couldn't scratch out more than one run past the first. After Smith led off the fifth with her fourth home run of the year, the Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs on a hit by pitch to
Tori Valdivia but reliever Megan Wilkinson was able to get
Taylor Brown on a fly ball to left.
From there, the Wildcats left two more on base in the sixth and a runner at third in the seventh.
Jayme Reddacliff started for the Bears and earned her first win of the season behind four strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work. And of the four runs she allowed, only one was earned.
Today's loss dropped ACU's season record to 4-13, while the Bears improved to 4-18. Â
The Wildcats return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. vs. Texas-Arlington. The 12-9 Mavericks defeated New Mexico State earlier today, 5-3, and will face the Bears later this afternoon.
