SAN MARCOS, Texas – Abilene Christian softball dropped both ends of its season-opening doubleheader Friday during the first day of action at the Centurylink Classic hosted by Texas State. The Wildcats lost 6-5 to DePaul in the morning and 13-1 against the host Bobcats later that afternoon.
ACU held a 3-0 lead vs. DePaul at the end of 3.5 innings thanks to RBI from
Baylee Travers and
Brianna Barnhill and a second-inning solo home run from freshman
Donelle Johnson in her first collegiate at-bat.
However, the Blue Demons would rally in their half of the fourth inning with four runs against starter
Hannah Null, who was making her first appearance in more than a season. Null escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the third, but a couple of walks and singles allowed in the fourth inning came back to hurt the Wildcats.
DePaul plated its first run on a RBI single by shortstop Haydn Christensen, which forced ACU to bring freshman
Allison Turner in from the bullpen. Turner recorded the second out with a play at the plate, but then walked in a run and allowed a go-ahead, two-run single to second baseman Morgan Maize.
With the Blue Demons ahead 4-3, senior
Demi McNulty led off the fifth with a single and three batters later sophomore
Alyson Bishoff deposited a two-run home run over the wall in right field, giving ACU a short-lived 5-4 lead.
DePaul tied the score once more in the fifth on a two-out double by Kali Gardner, and win it walk-off style in the seventh on an infield error that allowed Maize to score from second base with two outs.
Maize not only scored the winning run, but she also won the game in relief of starter Megan Leyva, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
ACU shortstop
Peyton Hedrick recorded ACU's only hit vs. Maize with one out in the seventh – the Wildcats' 12th of the game – but was left stranded at second base. The NFCA all-region shortstop later produced all of ACU's offense in game two vs. Texas State with a solo home run in the fourth inning.
The Bobcats scored one or more runs against all four Wildcat pitchers in the five-inning, run-rule victory. Corrina Liscano crushed a three-run home run in the first. Bianca Prado and Ariel Ortiz ripped back-to-back two-run doubles as part of a five-run second, and two innings later the Bobcats sent 11 batters to the plate during a five-run fourth inning.
The Wildcats return to action Saturday with a 5 and 7 p.m. doubleheader against their Southland Conference rivals from Northwestern State and Oklahoma State.
