RUSTON, La. – ACU softball bounced back in a big way Saturday at the Louisiana Tech Invitational, snapping its four-game losing streak with two key victories in contrasting styles. The Wildcats (3-5) got their bats going, particularly late, in a 9-3 win over Mississippi Valley State, and used pitching to pick up a 4-2 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. The wins push ACU to 2-2 at the tournament, with one more to go.
The team will meet the host LA Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m. to wrap the tournament. Live video and live stats will be available.
ACU 9 – Mississippi Valley State 3
The offense put together its best performance of the young season, scoring nine times on 13 hits, with nine of the base knocks coming in the final three innings. ACU looked to be in a pitching battle through four, with the game tied 1-1.
The Wildcats got the scoring started in unusual fashion in the second inning. With runners at first and third,
Linsey Tomlinson stole second, and on a throwing error by the MVSU catcher,
Briana Tijerina trotted home. Mississippi Valley State would answer in the home third with an rbi-single, but an error earlier in the inning made it an unearned run charged to starter
Calie Burris (1-1). The game was tied through four, and it looked like neither pitcher would back down.
Then the ACU offense awoke.
Anna Grace Johnson walked to start the fifth, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from
Samantha Bradley. Sophomore
Kayla Keeling (3 RBI) pushed a single up the middle to score Johnson, and the ice was broken. Burris and
Blair Clayton would follow it up with back-to-back doubles, the Wildcats broke open the game, leading 4-1. The Devilettes would get right back in it in the home half, scoring two runs on a pair of hits to get within one, 4-3.
But the Wildcats were not done. A four-run sixth began with singles from Tomlinson and Belch, and after a sacrifice bunt, Bradley put a ball in play that led to a two-run error. ACU led 6-3, and added two more runs on a Keeling home run down the left-field line. The 8-3 lead was too much at that point.
ACU added one more in the seventh on an rbi-single from Bradley, who would then pitch a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to end the game. Bradley pitched 2.1 innings of relief, posting a clean sheet with a pair of strikeouts. Burris finished 4.2 innings allowing just one earned run on four hits.
Keeling and Burris led the way with three hits, with Belch and Tomlinson adding two apiece as well. Johnson took three key walks in the game, and added a run scored to her stat line.
ACU 4 – Fairleigh Dickinson 2
Jillian Hefner went 4.2 strong innings to start the second game, allowing just one run on four hits. The rookie from Austin battled through 23 batters to earn her first career win before passing the baton off to Bradley. The relief pitcher finished the final 2.1 innings, allowing a run on a hit with a pair of strikeouts. Pitching was a key part of the doubleheader sweep for the Wildcats.
ACU jumped out to a big lead in game two, and this time looked to finish off the game. The Wildcats held leads at the Bobcat Classic a weekend ago, but fell late in a one-run defeats. This time,
Bobby Reeves' team finished the deal.
The Wildcats led 2-0 in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Clayton and a throwing error on the Fairleigh Dickinson third baseman off a Belch ground ball. ACU would add two more on another sacrifice fly, this one from the transfer Tomlinson, and an infield single from Tijerina. The lead would be too much for the Knights to overcome with the good pitching in the circle.
Fairleigh Dickinson did get on the board in the fifth on an rbi-single, and would try to mount a late comeback in the seventh as well. The Knights punched one more run across an another single, but with runners at first and third with only one out, Bradley finished the deal. The Azle, Texas native forced a popout to short and a strikeout to end the game, making the sweep a reality.
Despite being outhit 5-3, the Wildcats took advantage of three Knight errors and made the most of their opportunities to earn their first doubleheader sweep of 2019.
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