Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ABILENE -
Cara Hoover and
Lyndi Smith each hit a grand slam, and
Peyton Mosley delivered a win and a save Saturday to lead Abilene Christian softball in its doubleheader sweep of Incarnate Word at Poly Wells Field.
The two wins lifted ACU's season record to 21-27 and mark against the Southland Conference to 10-9, while the Cardinals, who won two of three vs. the Wildcats in San Antonio earlier this year, slipped to 20-30 overall and 6-14 against the league.
Game one belonged to ACU from start to finish as the Wildcats thumped UIW, 9-0, in five innings. Hoover hit her grand slam (and second home run of the season) during an eight-run third inning, while in the circle, Mosley (7-10) tossed a two-hit complete game with two strikeouts.
The two hits allowed by Mosley were both bunt singles by the Cardinals' No. 2 hitter Danielle Ramirez.
In addition to Hoover's slam,
Courtney Flanary went 1-for-2 with three RBI in game one and freshman
Taylor Brown went 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
ACU's offensive production continued at the start of game two as the home team jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead on consecutive two-out RBI hits by
Ashley Nolan and Hoover. But the Cardinals came right back in their half of the second when Katie Helm crushed a
Emily Seidel (3-8) pitch over the wall in right field to give her team a 3-2 lead.
The score stayed that way until the top of the fourth when a couple of errors by the Wildcat shortstop allowed Helm to score with two outs. Luckily though, Seidel got Christy Trevino to line out to Brown in left field to end the threat of a big inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was ACU's turn to strike back.
No. 7 batter
Demi McNulty led off with a single up the middle, advanced to second on a passed ball, and came home when a ball put in play by
Kaylee Crozier was dropped by the second baseman covering first.
McNulty's run cut ACU's deficit to one, 4-3.
Paige Stevens then singled and and an error by the UIW third baseman loaded the bases for Brown with no outs. Brown gave the Wildcats a good at-bat, but she ultimately popped up to the shortstop Alex Zepeda, who caught the ball over her shoulder in shallow left field.
Then with one out - and without hesitation - Smith came to the plate to give the Wildcats the lead for good as on the very first pitch from reliever Mikaela Flores she cracked a towering grand slam over the top of the batter's eyes in deep center field. Smith's home run was her 12th of the season and 36th of her illustrious career; and her four RBI today lifted her lifetime total to 141 with one game remaining.
Despite Smith's crushing blow that gave the Wildcats a 7-4 lead, the Cardinals' continued to threaten through the final two innings.
Trevino homered with two outs to bring UIW to within two runs at 7-5, and then in the seventh, the Cardinals put two runners aboard with one out, forcing ACU head coach
Bobby Reeves to replace Seidel with Mosley.
Seidel, who has defeated UIW twice this season, struck out two over 6.1 innings of work, surviving 11 base hits, plus one walk, hit by pitch and a wild pitch in the process.
In relief, Mosley struck out the first batter she faced - Mia Espositio - on a 3-2 pitch with runners at first and second base and then ended the game with a ground ball to second.
Mosley tossed 12 pitches in relief after throwing 64 in her 5.0 inning start. She is expected to start Sunday's Senior Day game, which will begin at 1 p.m.
Being honored alongside Mosley tomorrow will be Crozier, Flanary, Nolan, Smith and center fielder
Madison Buckley, who today scored two runs, doubled and made five catches.
