HOBBS, N.M. -- The University of the Southwest softball team opened its Louisiana Christian, Red River Athletic Conference, series with a doubleheader Friday at home, falling in both contests despite showing resilience and offensive flashes throughout the day. The Lady Mustangs will look to rebound in the series finale tomorrow.

Game One: Louisiana Christian 12, Southwest 2
The Mustangs faced a powerful Louisiana Christian lineup in the opener, as the Wildcats used extra‑base hits to build an early lead.

After falling behind 3–0 through three innings, Southwest broke through in the fourth. Layla Stouder crossed the plate on a passed ball before Chloe Corral followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hannah Campos, cutting the deficit to 3–2.

Louisiana Christian responded with a pair of runs in the fifth and pulled away in the sixth with a seven‑run inning to seal the game.

Southwest was limited to one hit but showed patience at the plate, drawing four walks. In the circle, Cali Saldana and Jazmynn Hernandez combined to work through the Wildcats' lineup.

Game Two: Louisiana Christian 8, Southwest 7
Southwest showed grit and offensive firepower in the nightcap, pushing Louisiana Christian to the final inning in a tightly contested matchup.

Louisiana Christian struck first with four runs in the third, but the Mustangs answered immediately. Yesenia Rodriguez drove in a run with an RBI single before Hannah Campos tied the game with a three‑run home run to center field, scoring Kilee Raulston and Rodriguez.

The back‑and‑forth battle continued as Southwest took the lead in the fifth inning, scoring two unearned runs following defensive pressure. In the sixth, Raulston delivered an RBI single to center field to give the Mustangs a 7–6 advantage.

Southwest finished the game with 10 hits, led by multi‑hit performances from Raulston, Kamryn Cantu, and Elexes Martinez.

Louisiana Christian, however, pushed across the tying run in the sixth and scored the go‑ahead run in the seventh. The Mustangs were unable to answer in the bottom half despite bringing the tying run to the plate.

In the circle, Jazmynn Hernandez, Sophia Jiminez, and Cali Saldana combined to keep Southwest within striking distance.

Head Coach Chris Petroski
"We had some solid defense in the first game and made some great plays, but got out-hit. In the second game, we battled even when we were behind. We had cutch hitting from a lot of the girls."

Southwest will look to close the series on a strong note in the finale against Louisiana Christian tomorrow in Hobbs.