ARLINGTON, Texas – The ACU softball team split a pair of games to open a weather-shortened Maverick Invite Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats opened with a dominant 9-0 win over Prairie View A&M in five innings, but the Wichita State Shockers got the best of ACU in an 8-1 loss to wrap the day.
ACU will hope to avenge its loss to Wichita State Sunday, opening the final day of the tournament with an 11:30 a.m. first pitch with the Shockers. The Wildcats wrap the day with a date with the host Mavericks of UTA at 2 p.m.
ACU 9 – Prairie View A&M 0 (5 Inn.)
A four-run second inning proved to be the big blow in the opener, but the scoring got started in the first when
Samantha Bradley reached on an error to bring home the game's first run. But the second inning was the big one. Freshman
Anna Grace Johnson doubled to bring home
Caroline Adair, and Bradley followed up with a sacrifice fly to score
Katelyn Belch.
Kayla Keeling delivered the big two-run home run to left field to open the game up, giving ACU a 5-0 lead.
Briana Tijerina delivered an infield single to plate to score
Linsey Tomlinson, who started at second on the play. After reaching third on the ground ball, the junior took off on the throw to first and scored. Two more scored in the fourth off an Adair single, and Johnson scored on a pass ball in the fifth inning to push the lead to 9-0.
The strong offense backed up a stellar pitching effort from
Calie Burris, who improved to 2-1 on the season with her first complete game. The sophomore allowed five hits en route to her first shutout, punching out five Panthers as well. Her three hits also led the Wildcat offense Saturday.
Adair matched Burris with three knocks, while Keeling and Clayton added two apiece. Keeling and Adair each drove in a pair to lead ACU as well.
Wichita State 8 – ACU 1
The Shockers got off to a 1-0 start in the bottom of the second inning off Bradley, the ACU starter, but the Wildcats would respond in the third. Clayton put together a good at bat that ended in a sacrifice fly to score
Taylor McCoy to tie the game. However, Wichita State would take over from that point.
Two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and two more in the sixth proved open the game up for the Shockers, who cruised behind Erin McDonald's stellar performance in the circle. ACU was held to just four hits, and left nine on base.
Bradley suffered the loss, tossing five innings, and was followed by an inning of relief work from
Jillian Hefner.
Bradley's two hits led the ACU offense.Â
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