ABILENE – The final home weekend of the year began with a bang Friday evening at Poly Wells Field as the ACU softball team (12-28, 5-18 SLC) posted 19 runs on 21 hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. A big third inning in game one propelled the 'Cats to a 7-4 victory, while 10 runs in the first two innings sparked a game two, five-inning, 12-0 win. The team celebrated its second annual Go Pink Games in style with its first Southland doubleheader sweep of the season.
The teams will get together Saturday afternoon as ACU goes for the sweep, with first pitch slated for 12 p.m.
Game 1: ACU 7, AMCC 4
The Islanders struck first in the opener, scoring the first run on an rbi-single off ACU starter
Samantha Bradley. The sophomore transfer went the distance for the win, and settled in nicely as the game grew on. Corpus put pressure on a few times, scoring runs in the third and fifth innings, but the right-hander worked around it to hang on for her fifth win of 2019.
ACU's offense backed up its starting pitcher, and got the scoring going in the home second. Bradley helped herself with a two-run shot to give her team the lead. The lead would not last long, as the Islanders answered with an rbi-triple and a sacrifice fly to get the two runs right back. Corpus led 3-2 going to the home third, but the 'Cats responded once again.
An error at shortstop off a ball hit by
Linsey Tomlinson. Freshman
Kaitlyn Huseman scored on the play to tie the game. The game turned on a key at-bat from
Kayla Keeling. The Wildcat backstop has generated a ton of power in 2019, and responded once again with a three-run home run to put ACU up 6-3, a lead it would not surrender. Corpus would score in the fifth on a double, but
Calie Burris would answer with a run driven in of her own off a single. ACU's 7-4 lead was intact, and Bradley close the deal.
Huseman's 3-for-3 effort led the offense, while Tomlinson, Bradley, and Burris each recorded a pair of base knocks.
Game 2: ACU 12, AMCC 1 (5 Inn.)
A four-run first inning set the tone for what would be a big offensive game for
Bobby Reeves' club. A pair of errors in the infield scored the first two, but the big blow came off the bat of Bradley. The Azle, Texas native launched her second homer of the evening to push the lead to 4-0.
The lead increased an inning later, and again the scoring got started with an error.
Briana Tijerina put a ball in play, and the error at second base pushed home a run. A fielder's choice plated another before
Blair Clayton roped a single to plate Tomlinson, and the Wildcat lead was 7-0. Bradley then stepped in and brought her rbi-total to six with a double. Burris then singled in
Lauryn Duhart to make it a 10-0 game through two innings.
ACU pushed the lead to 12-0 in the fourth when Huseman singled in
Tori Poullard and
Katelyn Belch singled in Huseman.
Burris got the start in game two, and allowed just one run on three hits through the four-inning complete game. Offensively, Belch led the way with three hits, while Bradley's four runs driven in brought her total to six for the evening.
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