SAN MARCOS, Texas – Senior right fielder Alli Spivey went 3-for-6 Friday and delivered the game-winning single in Abilene Christian's 1-0 win at Texas State Friday. Freshman Sidney Holman was credited with the victory as the Belton native tossed a five-hit complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts against last season's NCAA qualifiers.
ACU's seventh-inning rally started with two outs when freshman designated player Tori Poullard drew a seven-pitch walk after starting behind in the count 0-2 to Bobcat Randi Rupp. Senior center fielder Taylor Brown followed with a single down the left field line and then Spivey's third hit of the day plated Poullard from second base.
The Wildcats (1-1) were being one-hit by Rupp though the first six innings, but Holman – a high school all-America – kept her side in the game by never having a runner advance past second base. Holman issued walks in each of the first two innings only to cancel out those free passes with strikeouts of the Bobcats' No. 4 and 8 hitters. She then got into a bit more trouble in the third as Texas State put runners at first and second with one out, but came back with a strikeout of No. 3 hitter Ariel Ortiz and ground ball off the bat of Jaelyn Young.
Holman would surrender just three more hits the rest of the way, including a leadoff double in the sixth, but Young wouldn't get any further as Holman got a fly ball to left, ground ball to short and inning-ending strikeout of pinch hitter Lexi Fryar. Holman then retired the side in the seventh to finish at 120 pitches.
Rupp – who was a 30-game winner last season with a 1.66 ERA and 335 Ks – today struck out 11 Wildcats and walked four in 6.2 innings of work on 116 pitches.
ACU's victory over the Bobcats was their first in five meetings. Texas State defeated the Wildcats, 8-3, in 2014, and swept last year's season series by scores of 13-1, 4-3 and 2-0.
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday with a doubleheader vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Tech.
Iowa beat the Islanders earlier today, 8-0, and the Red Raiders tonight will face the Bobcats and Islanders.
Game 1 – Iowa 2, ACU 1
The Hawkeyes scored both runs in their half of the sixth inning to win the season-opening game between Iowa and Abilene Christian.
ACU entered the frame ahead 1-0 after senior center fielder Taylor Brown scored on a wild pitch by Allison Doocy with one out in the sixth. Iowa would respond in its final at-bat with four hits, leading to two runs scored off starter Hannah Null and reliever Sidney Holman.
The Hawkeyes were limited to three hits through the first five innings by Null, who whiffed four, but No. 9 batter Katy Taylor led off with a single to center and advanced to second on a bunt by leadoff hitter Kaitlyn Mullarkey.
Pinch hitter Devin Cantu tied the score at 1-1 with her single through the right side. Mallory Kilian followed with a double, and then cleanup batter Allie Wood drove in the game-winning run off Holman with a hit to center field.
Holman escaped the jam with a punch out of Brooke Rozier, but the bottom of the Wildcats' lineup was no match for Doocy in the seventh as she retired the final three batters on a pop up to the plate and pair of strikeouts.
Doocy struck out five in her complete game effort.
All Spivey led the ACU offense with two singles. Brown, Peyton Hedrick and Holly Neese also singled during a game in which there were only two extra-base hits – both doubles by the Hawkeyes.
