ABILENE - Redshirt sophomore
Hannah Null allowed one earned run through 9.1 innings pitched, and sophomore shortstop
Peyton Hedrick homered and drove in five, leading Abilene Christian softball to a doubleheader sweep of Incarnate Word Friday night at Poly Wells Field.
The Wildcats improved to 15-17 overall and 9-5 within the Southland Conference following the back-to-back victories, while the Cardinals fell to 14-21 and 5-9.
ACU and UIW will conclude their three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m.
Null started game one and went the distance on 108 pitches with a pair of strikeouts in a 5-2 Wildcat victory. She also stranded five runners, including one at third base in the second inning and two in scoring position in the third.
The Cardinals, however, broke her shutout bid with two outs in the fifth as a single and an error led to a pair of runs. From there, Null retired the final seven batters she faced, retiring the side in order in sixth and seventh.
ACU's offense gave Null a 5-0 lead to work with by the end of the fourth. Two errors led to two runs in the second, and in the third, Hedrick smashed her eighth home run of the season as part of a 3-for-6 night with five RBI.
In the fifth, Hedrick lined a two-run double off the second-base bag, allowing senior
Cara Hoover and junior
Casey-May Huff to score.
Huff started game two for the Wildcats and improved to 3-0 after grinding through 4.2 innings, in which she gave up eight hits and stranded four runnners on base.
The Cardinals scored their first run off Huff on a third-inning error, but Hedrick prevented any further damage by turning a 6-3 double play with runners at first and second. Hedrick used her bat again in the bottom of that inning, bringing
Taylor Brown home from third on sacrifice fly ball to left.
Brown led off the third with a double and stole her second of three bases against UIW's pitcher Sarah Leal.
UIW made it a two-run game in the fourth on a Shelbi Swenson RBI single, and cut its deficit to 4-3 when pinch hitter Alex Alonzo slapped a run-scoring single to center.
Null was called in from the bullpen after the Alonzo hit and delivered 2.1 scoreless innings with one hit, a walk and three Ks. There were, however, some tense moments, including the top of seventh as she worked out of two-on, no-out jam by striking out UIW's No. 3 and 4 batters and ending the game with a ground ball to second base.
The Wildcats again helped Null at the plate with insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Brown drew a two-out walk in the fifth, stole second base, and came home on Hedrick's single through the left side, and in the sixth, ACU went up 6-3 after
Miranda Herron scored on Leal's illegal pitch.
Leal tossed 126 pitches tonight through 8.1 innings. She allowed just two hits in relief in game one, but surrendered seven in the night cap, including
Brianna Barnhill's two-run home run with two outs in the first inning.
Bridget Stein took the loss for UIW in game one after allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks.
