ARLINGTON, Texas - The ACU softball team came up with big defensive plays again and again in extra innings, and pitcher
Lina Russo put on a Herculean performance for the second straight Friday, but the UT Arlington Mavericks outlasted the Wildcats, 4-3 in 14 innings.
It is the second-longest game in ACU's Division I era behind a 15-inning 3-0 win at Nicholls in 2018. Hannah Null went the distance in that game just like Russo did on Friday night.
The senior fired an incredible 203 pitches surpassing Null's total of 198 from her marathon game.Â
But in the end UTA capitalized on one small mistake to pull out the win. With a runner on third in the bottom of the 14th inning, a Russo pitch bounced in the dirt and got away from catcher
Valerie Ornelas. That wild pitch allowed Kailee Bautista to run home for the winning run.
The Wildcats were one strike from victory in the bottom of the 7th when Bautista, the Lady Mavericks' designated hitter, singled to left to drive in the tying run.
After the 8th and 9th went quickly, UTA had a runner on second in the 10th. Russo finished an 8-pitch at-bat by striking out Dee McClarity to keep the game going.
In the 11th it was the Wildcats' turn to threaten.
Ari Maxwell singled to left -- one of her five hits on the night -- and made it around to third. ACU's leading hitter
Taylor Bachmeyer came up to the plate and smashed a ball to deep left-center where a Lady Maverick fielder made a leaping grab on the warning track to extinguish the threat.
The Wildcats turned double plays in both the 12th and 13th frames, the latter of which came with the bases loaded. Russo snatched a one-hopper to her right, and threw home to
Valerie Ornelas, who launched the ball to first in time for the double play that ended the inning.
Russo was coming off a weekend where she pitched a no-hitter, and a complete game shutout in back-to-back starts. She then finished the sweep of Southern Utah by earning the save in the third and final game of the series. Her stat line earned her the WAC Pitcher of the Week honor.
Quick Hits
- Ari Maxwell finished 5-for-6 at the plate, the second-best single-game hit total in ACU's Div. I era behind only a 6-for-6 performance by Taylor Brown in a 10-inning win over Stephen F. Austin on April 15, 2016. Maxwell also homered to left in the 2nd inning to kickoff the scoring.
- Russo's 13.2 innings pitched are the second most in ACU history, and the most by far in an NCAA game this season. The previous single-game high was 11 innings pitched
- The game tied for the longest game of the season in any division of NCAA softball. Also in 14 innings, Louisville defeated Notre Dame and SIUE took down Tennessee Tech earlier this season.
- Elizabeth Schaefer, who has started every game this season at first base, was 3-for-6 at the dish with a double in the 3rd.
- Friday's game lasted 3 hours, 34 minutes.
Up Next
Due to the length of Friday's game, both coaches have agreed to push back the start time for Saturday's doubleheader by two hours.
First pitch will now be Saturday at 2 p.m., with the series finale to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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