ABILENE - ACU catcher
Miranda Lista thrilled the largest crowd in Poly Wells Field history by hitting two home runs, and the Wildcats held tough with No. 14 Texas Tech on Wednesday night, ultimately losing 7-3.
The official attendance of 1,261 smashed the previous stadium record of 908 from
April 27, 2016 when ACU hosted Baylor.
"It's awesome! This is what I hope to build in the program going forward. I hope teams like Texas Tech keep coming back here," ACU's first-year head coach Jo Koons said.
"Abilene is a special place. It is somewhere we can build and grow, and continue to have these type of fans and create this environment for our athletes to play in."
Facing one of the best teams in the nation, and perhaps college softball's top player in Tech's NiJaree Canady, the Wildcats did not blink.Â
After giving up a three-run homer in the first, ACU starting pitcher
Lina Russo only allowed four hits over the next 5.2 innings. She forced 10 groundouts, and also struck out three.
Fielding mishaps gave the Red Raiders new life a few times, which they used to add an unearned run in the third.
"You've got to play two-out-of-three parts of the game well, and I don't think we did that at all times this evening," said Koons. "Our pitching staff gave us a chance to win, but defense was our Achilles' heel. We've got to get more consistent with not giving up so many free passes."
Down 4-0 in the fifth, Lista stepped to the plate and hammered a towering fly ball just to the right of the scoreboard in left field for a solo home run.
"It felt really smooth, and I've been waiting for that feeling to come back for a while," said the senior who made her 21st start of the season at third base. "I've struggled at the beginning of this season, so to have that confidence back in the box, I can tell and other people can tell."
Following a 7th inning fielder's choice by
Julianna Martinez, Lista once again stepped up. This time she launched the ball over the batter's eye in straightaway center - the deepest part of Poly Wells Field - for a two-run blast and her second long ball of the night.
"We've been talking about the process with her and making the adjustments. To see her make the adjustment not once but twice is huge," said Koons. "More importantly this is when you want to get hot as a team. We've talked about turning the corner and peaking at the right time."
Entering Wednesday night Lista had only hit two home runs in the past two seasons combined. She became the first ACU player to have a multi-HR game since 2023 when the feat was accomplished on three separate occasions: March 19, Sammie Selander vs. Utah Tech; April 15,
Avery Miloch at UT Arlington; April 22, Bubba Rota vs. Stephen F. Austin.
Lista finished going 2-for-3 at the plate with a season-high 3 RBI.
The game concluded a 5-game homestand for ACU, and is in the middle of a stretch of nine games in nine days. The Wildcats visit Utah Valley for a three-game WAC series on Friday and Saturday.
"We knew it was going to be a little bit crazy," said Lista of the demanding week. "But I think our preseason prepared us perfectly for what we're going into. For these teams and these type of games, we have it.
"It is awesome to see us piece it together in moments. Now we're waiting for it all to come together at once."
ACU's doubleheader on Friday in Orem, Utah, is set for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch. The series finale on Saturday will begin at 1 p.m. CT.
All three games of the series will be video streamed on ESPN+.
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