ABILENE – Pitchers
Sidney Holman and
Hannah Null combined on a four-hit shutout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday at Poly Wells Field, leading the Wildcats to a three-game sweep of the Islanders that lifted their overall and Southland Conference records to 21-14 and 11-1.
ACU's start in conference play is its best since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 2014 and keeps the Wildcats in the chase for the regular-season title with McNeese (10-0) and Nicholls (11-1), who ACU will face next weekend in the Key City.
Wildcat pitching didn't allow a single earned run this weekend as Holman and Null shut out the Islanders for the second time this weekend and third time this season. Holman started the game and struck out five in 5.0 innings of work while allowing just one base hit on 57 pitches. Null started the sixth inning and pitched her way out of a two-on, no-out jam by retiring the top of order on a line out, ground out and foul pop up to the catcher
Kaleigh Singleton.
Null surrendered two hits in the seventh with two outs but got catcher Mariah Clay to fly out to
Braegan Hamilton in left field to end the game.
Liz Carter started strong for the Islanders, retiring the first six batters she faced with four strikeouts. She then started the third inning with a six-pitch walk to designated player
Donelle Johnson, which was followed by Hamilton's high chopper over the circle and subsequent error by the shortstop that gave ACU runners at the corners.
Alli Spivey broke the scoreless tie with a RBI ground ball to short, and
Taylor Brown dropped a single into shallow center field that made it a 2-0 game. Brown later would score on a second shortstop error following
Peyton Hedrick's bloop double down the left-field line.
Brown was at second base at the time of Hedrick's hit, and was forced to hesitate in making sure Islander shortstop Lacey Boyd didn't catch the ball along the foul line before taking off for third base. Boyd thought she had a chance to get Brown going into third, but her throw instead sailed wide of the bag, allowing Brown to score standing up.
The Wildcats went down in order once more in the fourth, but put the game out of reach in the fifth on Hedrick's 11th home run of the spring – a three-run shot to left field with one out that scored both Brown and Spivey. Hedrick now has 35 home runs in her three year career. She needs one more to tie her career season high, and three to break Katie Bryan's varsity record of 38.
The Wildcats return to action Wednesday, April 5 with a midweek game at Texas Tech. ACU won its game in Lubbock last season, 3-1, but have twice lost to the Red Raiders this season, both at home and at a neutral location. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
