SAN ANTONIO – The Abilene Christian softball team dropped both its games during day one of the UTSA Classic. Seton Hall hit a two-run homer in the first game to beat the Wildcats, 2-0, and a big second inning by Southern Illinois provided the Salukis with an 8-5 win.
The Wildcats return to action Saturday at 11:30 a.m. for a rematch against SIU, and again at 4:30 p.m. when they take on tournament host UTSA.
Game 1 – Seton Hall 2, Abilene Christian 0
A two-run home run from left fielder Hailey Arteaga in the first inning proved to be the only offense recorded by either team in the Pirates' 2-0 win over the Wildcats. Arteaga's bomb off senior
Hannah Null came with two outs and a runner at third base.
Null was close to perfect for the remainder of the ball game, scattering three hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Unfortunately, Seton Hall ace Reganne Camp was a little bit better, punching out 10 Wildcats en route to the shutout victory.
The Wildcats recorded four base hits vs. Camp and didn't put a runner on base until
Donelle Johnson was hit by a pitch in the third inning. Johnson was left stranded at first base, and the following inning,
Braegan Hamilton's leadoff single was spoiled by a 6-4-3 double play.
ACU threatened in its half of the sixth with two on and two outs, but Camp got senior
Peyton Hedrick to pop up following singles by
Alyson Bishoff and
Briana Tijerina, and in the seventh, Johnson grounded out into a game-ending fielder's choice after
Brianna Barnhill's infield single.
Game 2 – Southern Illinois 8, Abilene Christian 5
Peyton Hedrick and
Brianna Barnhill hit their first home runs of the season in the three-run loss Southern Illinois. Hedrick clubbed her 40th career home run – a solo shot – in the first inning and Barnhill knocked a two-run homer in the fifth to make it an 8-5 contest.
Hedrick, Barnhill and freshman
Kayla Keeling combined for all six of the Wildcats' base hits.
The Salukis countered Hedrick's offense with a two-run home run by Katelyn Masa, and in the second inning, they scored six runs on four base hits against starter
Shelby Craig and reliever
Calie Burris.
The Wildcats began to dig their way out of trouble with a four-run fifth inning. Two runs scored on a two-out fielding error by the SIU second baseman, and Barnhill followed with her two-run homer over right center wall off Brianna Jones.
Jones bounced back to retire the final seven batters she faced, finishing with 141 pitches, while Burris stranded a pair of Salukis during her final two innings of work Burris tossed 4.2 innings in her collegiate debut, giving up five hits and struck out one.
