HAMMOND, La. – Senior hurler
Hannah Null pitched one of the best games in Wildcat history Friday evening at North Oak Park, striking out 15 Southeastern Louisiana batters with zero walks en route to a 5-4 victory in 9.0 innings.
Null's strikeout total was the second highest of her collegiate career but the most she's ever recorded against a D1 opponent. As a freshman in 2014 she set the school's single-game record with 17 strikeouts vs. Hardin-Simmons and two years later she punched out 12 Arkansas Pine Bluff batters in a 5.0-inning no-hitter.
Her 15 K performance gives her 481 in her career and is currently tied for eighth among all of this season's NCAA D1 pitchers. Three pitchers this spring have whiffed 16 batters, while two have registered a 17-strikeout performance. Louisiana's Summer Ellyson holds the season record with 20 vs. Evansville, and in second place with 18 is Evansville's Morgan Florey (vs. Austin Peay).
Null tonight was spotted a 2-0 run lead by the third inning and started her memorable effort by striking out the side in the first inning. She was up to six strikeouts by the end of 3.0 innings when the Lady Lions' offense began their comeback on Mahalia Gibson's two-run shot to left field that knotted the score at 2-2.
Null went on to record a 1-2-3 fifth inning with two more strikeouts, but the long ball got her once more in the sixth as Rebecca Skains provided SLU a short-lived 4-2 lead with her two-out, two-run home run to right field.
After stranding four runners in scoring position between the third and sixth innings, the Wildcats finally cashed in on offense vs. Lady Lions' reliever Tanner Wright in the seventh. ACU loaded the bases with three consecutive singles from
Braegan Hamilton,
Peyton Hedrick and
Holly Neese, and after
Brianna Barnhill brought home one run on a fly ball to right,
Briana Tijerina drove in the game-tying run on a single to left center.
The score remained tied at 4-4 until the ninth when catcher
Kayla Keeling drilled her first career home run down the left field line. This after the freshman backstop gunned Jaquelyn Ramon out a third base on a steal attempt for the third out of the eighth inning.
Null then came back out for the ninth and retired the side in order with a strikeout, fly out and pop up back to the circle, finishing the game on 141 pitches.
The Wildcats unfortunately could not complete their doubleheader sweep after losing 3-2 in the night cap. The Lady Lions snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth on Ali McCoy's RBI bunt, and starter Lacey Hill sealed her complete game victory by striking out the Wildcats' No. 1 and 2 batters
Donelle Johnson and Hamilton with a runner at third base.
A
Caroline Adair RBI single gave ACU its first lead of game two in the fourth inning, but Southeastern La. came right back with two runs in their half of the fifth as No. 9 hitter Madisen Blackford drove in McCoy on a two-out single off
Calie Burris, and eventually scored on an errant throw after stealing second base.
Neese's second home run of the spring tied the score a final time at 2-2 in the sixth.
The rubber game between ACU and Southeastern Louisiana will be played at noon Saturday.
