ABILENE – Junior transfer
Linsey Tomlinson launcher her first home run as a Wildcat, ACU took advantage of four errors from the visitors, and
Bobby Reeves' softball team cruised to a 9-2 victory over Maine Saturday. As a team, ACU tallied eight hits and scored multiple times in three of the innings to improve to 6-10 on the season.
Tomlinson launched a three-run shot off the scoreboard in left at Poly Wells Field, pushing the game completely out of reach in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was the first long ball for the transfer from Mary Hardin-Baylor drove in a team-best four runs over the weekend.
The game got started with a leadoff single, but sophomore
Calie Burris worked around the hit to pitch a scoreless frame. Maine would tally hits in all but two innings, but left four on base for the game. The Black Bears took the lead in the top of the second inning on a two-run double, but would not score the rest of the way. Burris earned the win, improving to 3-1, and tossed five innings and allowing five hits.
ACU got on the board in the bottom of the second when
Briana Tijerina drew a bases-loaded walk to score Tomlinson, and the offense was off and running. They would go on to take the lead with a big third frame.
Samantha Bradley blooped one down the right-field line to score pinch-runner
Taylor McCoy to tie the game, and then ACU took advantage of some Maine miscues. An error on a throw and catch at first baseman allowed Tomlinson to reach, and Bradley crossed the plate in the process to take a 3-2 lead. With the bases loaded later in the inning,
Blair Clayton reached on a fielder's choice at second base to plate Tomlinson. ACU scored three times in the inning to take a 4-2 lead.
With Burris in control, the offense kept going. With runners at first and third, pinch runner
Blakeli Brookreson stole second base. The throw from the Maine catcher went into center field, allowing freshman
Kaitlyn Huseman to score on the play. The inning continued when ACU catcher
Kayla Keeling blasted her second triple of the season to dead center, allowing Brookreson to score. ACU led 6-2, paving the way for its second win over the Black Bears in as many days.
Bradley took over in the sixth inning for Burris, tossing two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out one.
Tomlinson's blast in the sixth opened the game to 9-2, and Bradley pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to shut the door.
Tomlinson, Huseman, and Keeling all led the way with two hits; Huseman is now 4-6 in her home park with three doubles in her rookie campaign.
The Wildcats will now go back on the road next week to open up Southland Conference play in Beaumont, Texas with a three-game series with the Lamar Cardinals. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, March 8 beginning at 4 p.m. The series concludes Saturday, March 9 with a single game getting underway at 1 p.m.
