The Wildcats went up against Stephen F. Austin for the final conference series of the season, gaining the series win, 2-1.
The last matchup between the two schools ended in a close SFA win 2-1, with this recent matchup ending in a close ending again.
A doubleheader was played Friday afternoon, where the Wildcats won the first game, 2-0, and lost the second game, 2-7.
In the first game on Friday, Sidney Holman-Mansell, graduate pitcher from Belton, pitched a complete game with only allowing three hits and gaining five strikeouts.
“Sydney pitched lights out,” head coach Abigail Farler said. “She was dominant in the circle and I think her fitness and her training all year is really starting to pay off for her.”
The game had a slow start with both teams not scoring until the sixth inning. In the sixth inning, Riley White, sophomore pitcher from Thorndale, hit a two-run home run, giving the Wildcats the lead and the final score of 2-0.
ACU tallied a total of six hits on 26 at-bats, with Miranda Davila, sophomore infielder from Belton, having two hits out of her three at-bats.
In the second game on Friday, Lauren Schiek, graduate pitcher from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, started for the Wildcats. Schiek pitched for an inning, putting up two runs on six batters faced. In the second inning, White came in to relieve Schiek. White struck out five batters, but allowed five runs on eight hits, giving SFA the upper hand.
SFA started off in the first inning strong by gaining two runs and then in the third inning, they gained another run by a solo home run. Calie Burris, graduate infielder from Haltom, hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning for the Wildcats, putting them right behind SFA, 2-3. In the sixth inning, the Ladyjacks hit a three-run home run to push them farther in front of the Wildcats. Then in the sixth inning, another solo home run by SFA brought the close of the game by a final score of 2-7.
On Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats were able to grab the win, 3-0.
“Our defense was really locked in and made some huge plays look pretty simple,” Farler said. “Then offensively we came up with what we needed to right at the right time.”
Holman-Mansell once again pitched a complete game, only allowing one hit and tallying four strikeouts.
The game went for six innings, scoreless, until the top of the seventh inning, Logan Gaspar hit an inside-the-park home run. Avery Miloch, sophomore catcher from Georgetown, and Davila were sent home, just before Gaspar touched home, putting ACU up three runs.
The Wildcats tallied eight hits, with Matti Reiling, sophomore infielder from Lincoln, Nebraska, securing a double for one of her two hits out of three at-bats.
With this final series win, the Wildcats head into the Western Athletic Conference Tournament with the 4th seed. ACU plays the winner of #5 Utah Valley and #8 Lamar Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Huntsville. The game is streaming on ESPN+.
“I think we’re just ready to go out and compete right now,” Farler said. “It would be nice to not face the same team for the seventh and eighth time but we’ll play whoever.”
