Softball Bounces Back for Two Wins

ABILENE – Abilene Christian bounced back from a tough opening day with a pair of victories on Saturday over Murray State, 13-12, in eight innings and UTEP, 8-2.
 
The Wildcats started strong with RBI doubles by Miranda Lista and Shaylee Alani ahead of an RBI single by Olivia Taylor for a 3-0 first-inning lead against Murray State.
 
Alani added a three-run home run in the second to make it a 6-2 game. The lead swelled to 10-2 in the third inning on an RBI triple by Bubba Rote, an RBI double by Mercedes Eichelberger, and an RBI single by Lista.
 
Murray State scored seven in the sixth to tie the game at 12-12 before Eichelberger ended it with a walk-off RBI single up the middle in the eighth.
 
Eichelberger had four hits to pace ACU's 20-hit attack while Lista added three and Alani, Sammie Shelander, Taylor, Avery Miloch, McKenley Clark and Rote added two apiece.
 
Talia Nielsen pitched 2.1 shutout innings of relief for the win. Nielsen followed that up with a complete-game outing for the win over UTEP.
 
Shelander opened the scoring against the Miners with a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
 
UTEP tied it up in the fifth, but the Wildcats answered with six runs in the sixth. The Cats got RBI singles by Clark and Lista, a two-run double by Eichelberger and Kiser got an RBI when hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
 
Eichelberger had three more hits in the second game.
 
ACU finishes up the Wildcat Invitational at 1 p.m. on Sunday, facing Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.