The ACU softball team went 1-1 in a frigid doubleheader this past Sunday against the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs.
The first game showcased an offensive frenzy by both teams with the Wildcats coming out on top late with a 10-7 win. The second game featured a pitching duel with a wild finish and a bulldog win 4-3.
Seniors Lyndi Smith and Madison Buckley led the way for the Wildcats offensively. Smith went 3-or-4 with four RBIs and Buckley added two more runs for the ‘Cats in the first game.
Pitcher Emily Seidel came away with the win with 1.1 innings of work. Peyton Mosley put in the most work with 3.0 innings pitched allowing three earned runs.
Head coach Bobby Reeves was happy with the work his pitchers put in after two cold, tough performances.
“Peyton threw well the first game. We struggled a little bit but that’s OK,” coach Reeves said. “Did I expect three aces to come out and throw today? No. It’s cold and it’s the first game of the year.”
The Wildcats seemed to have the game in hand early, taking an 8-1 lead after two innings. The Bulldogs would come back with six unanswered runs over the next four innings to make it an 8-7 wildcat lead.
The bottom of the sixth inning would decide the game as Lyndi Smith singled to bring in two runs. The Wildcat pitching would shutout the Bulldogs in the top of the seventh to win the first game.
A pitching duel occurred in the second game with a wild finish ending in the bulldogs’ hitting a grand slam in the sixth. It proved to be the deciding score of the second game leading to a bulldog win.
True freshman Hannah Null pitched a two-hit shutout for five innings and seemed to win the game for the Wildcats. Peyton Mosley came in to relieve Null but allowed a bases-loaded situation, causing coach Reeves to bring Null back to the mound.
Null would proceed to give up the grand slam to Ashley Jacobsen in the sixth to seal the win for the Bulldogs.
Hannah Null’s first appearance started well but ended on a tough note allowing a grand slam.
“I think I started out pretty well and maybe towards the end I kind of put it out,” Null said. “I think I did better than I expected with the nerves.”
Madison Buckley led the Wildcats offensively. She led the team in runs with three and went 3-for-7 at the plate.
“As a leadoff hitter, the best way to get on base is anyway possible,” Buckley said. “It means being aggressive in the pitch count and looking for strikes ahead of time.”
A season-opening sweep was spoiled, but coach Reeves thought the two games went well.
“I thought they played well, we out-hit them,” Reeves said. “I take my hat off to Texas Lutheran. They hung around and did what they needed to do to win the second game.”
ACU softball will return to the diamond this Friday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. against Oklahoma Christian University.
