The University of the Southwest Softball team had a weekend filled with conference doubleheaders taking on the Lady Jaguars and the Lady Rams both at home. They would start the weekend with a Friday matchup against UHV and then a Saturday matchup against Huston Tillotson. The Lady Mustangs were looking to find a way to get above .500 coming in the weekend with a record of 9-9.
Houston-Victoria
Game 1
There was a pitcher battle to start the Friday slate of doubleheaders as both offenses were held in check until the 6
th inning, where both teams were able to push a run across.
Michaela Trevino led off the bottom half of the 6
th and would eventually come home to score on a
Kilee Raulston triple. The game would need an extra inning to decide the winner when the Lady Jags would score the go-ahead run in the top of the 8
th as the Lady Mustangs would be unable to match, losing the game 1-2.
Grad student
Michaela Trevino would lead the offensively, scoring the lone run and going 2-4 at the plate. Junior
Hope Quinones would be able to pitch all eight innings but, unfortunately, pick up the loss on the game despite only giving up two runs and only one earned run.
Game 2
The Lady Jags would not want another late start, as they would immediately put up three runs in the top of the first to put some needed pressure on the Lady Mustangs. The Lady Mustangs would find a way to make this game interesting late as in the bottom of the 6
th, two bases-loaded walks would put the Lady Stangs in striking distance going into the last inning. However, they would fail to bring in the tying run and lose the game 2-3.
Junior
Marley Moralez would be another pitcher to go the distance in a loss while giving up one earned run.
Huston-Tillotson
Game 1
The Lady Stangs would wake up the next day on a mission and would prove it early with an 8-0 win in 5 innings to start the doubleheader against Huston Tillotson University. The offense would explode out of the gates early with a four-run first inning followed by 2 in the 2
nd, 1 in the 3
rd, and the game-winning run in the 5
th to walk it off.
Freshman
Jenessa Gabaldon would earn the victory with a complete game shutout. Grad student
Kenzi Savell would lead the offense with a 2-3 day with a double and her first home run of the season.
GAME 2
The Lady Stangs would find themselves down early in the second game as the Lady Rams would take a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first. It would be until the bottom of the 3
rd inning before the Lady Mustangs could get on the board thanks to an RBI triple off the bat of
Amanda Perez. The Lady Mustangs would eventually fall with a score of 1-3. Freshman
Xyla Madry would have a day at the plate going 2-2 with a walk.
"Opening conference games didn't turn out in our favor," said Head Coach
Chris Petroski. "The girls competed in all four games. We had our opportunities with runners on base but couldn't execute at the right times. We came out on Saturday with our bats and run-ruled HT in Game 1."
"Our pitching and defense were excellent. We got a good opportunity to see what we'll be up against in the coming weeks. We have some work to do this week to prepare for another home weekend on Friday and Saturday. I'm looking forward for all the pieces to come together and compete."
USW Softball will return this coming weekend to host Texas A&M-Texarkana on Friday and LSU Alexandria on Saturday. Continue to follow USW Athletics and USW Softball on all social media for scores and updates throughout the season.
