With one swing of the bat, sophomore utility player for Emporia State, Tricia Vogel, ended the Abilene Christian softball team’s outstanding season Saturday night on a walk-off grand slam to give No. 17 Emporia State a 5-1 elimination game victory over the Wildcats.

The Hornets forced extra innings with a two-strike, two-out run-scoring single by Taylor Zordel in the bottom of the seventh inning and prevailed as soon as extra innings began in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament.

The loss ends the Wildcats’ season at 30-18, while the Hornets improved to 41-10.

“This was a great season for us,” said head coach Bobby Reeves. “This has been one of my favorite groups to coach. These girls never quit, never backed down from a challenge, and had a knack for stepping up in times where we needed them to step up. They should all be proud of what was accomplished this season.”

The Wildcats threatened the Hornet’s lead in the top of the tenth after putting runners on first and third with one out, but ESU pitcher Karley Schmelzer escaped the predicament on a heads up by third baseman Jennifer Heerey on a hard hit line drive by Sara Vaughn, junior finance major from from Huntsville.

The Hornets then won the game in the bottom of that frame, loading the bases on a leadoff double by Andrea Piezuch, a bunt single by Jessica Brewer and an intentional walk to Stephanie Goodwin.  That brought Vogel to the plate and she sent a 1-0 pitch into orbit over the left field wall for her ninth homer of the season.

“It stinks knowing that our season ended with one swing of the bat,” said pitcher Caitlyn Crain, junior Biology major from Fort Worth. “But you have to give credit where it is due. She is a good hitter and came up big for them.”

The Hornets, who beat ACU 1-0 in the first round, trailed 1-0 entering the seventh and stayed alive on Zordel’s clutch base hit. Taylor Reichard drew a leadoff walk, went to second on Kendra Gifford’s sacrifice bunt and scored the tying run on line-drive single to left field.

Schmelzer (20-4) earned the pitching win in relief, giving up two hits in 5.2 innings.  Piezuch and Brewer had three hits apiece to lead ESU’s 12-hit performance.

ACU starter Peyton Mosley tied a season-high with 9.0 innings pitched, striking out four, and walking two.

Following an aforementioned loss in the first round to ESU, the Wildcats were placed in the losers bracket and are in need of a win to stay in contention of the double-elimination formatted tournament.

Fortunately, Crain knew that and was dominant on the mound, leading ACU to a 5-2 win over Incarnate Word Saturday afternoon.

Crain (14-7) had a season-high eight strikeouts in her complete game, and only gave up two unearned runs on six hits.

The junior cruised through the first four innings before running into a small roadblock in the fifth. A pair of two-out errors by second baseman Kim Briggs, sophomore human communications major from Gault, Calif., allowed UIW to tie the score at 2.

In the bottom of the fifth, ACU began to click on all cylinders. The Wildcats scored three runs to break the 2-2 tie, Crain allowed just two more hits with neither runner advancing past first. On defense, Courtney Flanary, sophomore exercise science and health major from Bartonville, made two hit-robbing plays at third base.

In the opener Friday, ACU was held to a pair of hits in a 1-0 loss to No. 17 Emporia State.

Crain had a quality start, going six innings and finishing with six strikeouts, but the story of the game was the stagnancy of the ACU offense against ESU’s Karley Schmelzer (19-3).

Schmelzer started the game with back-to-back walks, but caught a break when Keanna Winkfield, junior accounting major from Giddings, was busted trying to steal third base. She then struck out Vaughn before getting Flanary to end the threat with a fly out.

The Wildcats would again leave two more stranded against Schmelzer in the second, and two in scoring position in the fifth to finish the game with seven left on base.

ACU didn’t record its first hit against Schmelzer until there were two outs in the sixth when Kim Briggs slammed a double off the wall. The Wildcats then added a pinch-hit single from Kara Stutesman, sophomore journalism major from Carl Junction, Mo., in the seventh inning.