Late-inning rally sets stage for Softball sweep

ABILENE - Abilene Christian softball battled back from a pair of late-inning deficits in the first game of its doubleheader and scorched Houston Baptist pitching in game two, 10-0, to complete a sweep Friday at Husky Field.

The Wildcats have won all three of their Southland Conference series in improving to 17-13 and 7-1, while the Huskies fell to 7-15 and 0-8.

The ACU offense today pounded 21 base hits – four for extra bases – and Sidney Holman won both games as a starter and reliever. 

The Wildcats and Huskies conclude their series Saturday at noon.

Game 1 – ACU 6, Houston Baptist 5
The Wildcats sent eight batters to the plate during a four-run seventh inning and held on for a 6-5 victory in game one of their doubleheader at Houston Baptist. 

ACU entered the frame down 4-2 after the Huskies scored a pair of unearned runs in their half of the sixth inning, but quickly produced a dramatic comeback as the Wildcats started their last at-bat with two walks wrapped around an Alyson Bishoff double.

Back-to-back singles by Peyton Hedrick and Brianna Barnhill cleared the bases to give ACU a 5-4 lead, and then Holly Neese plated Hedrick with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Freshman Sidney Holman started the first with an infield pop up but was replaced by starter Hannah Null after surrendering a pair of one-out walks. Null walked another batter to load the bases, and let one run in after Kay Schroeder lifted a foul ball down the left-field line.

The Huskies, however, failed to do any further damage after Null finished the game with a fly ball to center field for her second save of the year.

ACU's offense was quieted most of the game by starter Emily Mueller as the Wildcats were held scoreless through 5.0 innings with four runners left on base. They finally tied the score at 2-2 in the sixth when both Alli Spivey and Barnhill scored on a shortstop error.

Null pitched the first two innings and was lifted at the start of the third after giving up two runs in the second on Heidi Jaquez' triple. Holman pitched 3.0 scoreless innings between the third and fifth, and was in the circle for the two six inning unearned runs.

Game 1 – ACU 10, Houston Baptist 0 (6)
The Wildcats again teed off on Houston Baptist pitching in the night cap, scoring six times in the sixth to leave Husky Field with a 10-0 run-rule victory. 

Sidney Holman tossed a complete game with four strikeouts in improving to 12-3 on the spring, and was helped offensively by senior Casey-May Huff (3-4, two runs) and Alyson Bishoff (2-3, four RBI). Peyton Hedrick also crushed her 10th home run of the season, while three other Wildcats (Brianna Barnhill, Kaleigh Singleton and Alli Spivey) registered multi-hit games as ACU finished with 15 base knocks against HBU pitchers Shae Bibby and Stephanie Buenrostro.

ACU scored three times in the third inning with two runs coming home on a Bishoff double, and then in the fifth, Braegan Hamilton singled home Barnhill to make it a 4-0 game. The Wildcats put the finishing touches on their win by sending 11 batters to the plate in the sixth. 

Hedrick knocked in two runs with her home run to center field, and after ACU loaded the bases once more, Bishoff drove in a pair with her single to center and scored on Singleton's hit down the left-field line.

No Husky base runner got past second base after the first inning as Holman finished her outing with only 82 pitches. Heidi Jacquez made it to third base with two outs in the first inning, but was left stranded after Holman whiffed Brooke Bushman with runners at the corners.