Two weekends ago, Wildcat softball snapped a 6-game losing streak by sweeping Southern Utah University in a 3-game series. ACU hasn’t swept a team since 2023, which was also against SUU.
In the first game, the Wildcats won with a dominating score of 6-0. Lina Russo, junior pitcher from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, threw a no-hitter, which hasn’t happened at ACU since 2020. Russo struck out three batters and forced 12 groundouts. The Wildcats scored four runs in the second inning with two runs scored on a home run by Miranda Lista, senior infielder from Chino Hills, California, and two RBI singles by Emalee Romero, junior infielder from Eastvale, California.
“[Russo] just competes… I’ve put her up against the best in the country and she has thrown some really gutsy games for us,” said Head Coach Jo Koons.
Russo’s calmness throughout the game could be from her no-hitter as a sophomore or the perfect game she threw as a freshman at Ball State University, but she was unaware of this no-hitter.
“I didn’t know I had a no-hitter till I was at dinner,” Russo said.
The second game was a much closer match with a score of 1-0. After allowing a game-opening single, Russo continued her great play, going seven straight to make sure the Thunderbirds couldn’t score. In the second inning, Julianna Martinez, freshman outfielder from Fresno, California, hit a single, sending Audrey Lacina, sophomore utility player from Bentonville, Arkansas, home to take the lead. Russo held down the game with four strikeouts.
SUU had the bases loaded in the fourth, but Lacina made a play on a ground ball to throw home and catch the runner in time for the force out.
In the fifth, Lacina muffed a throw from freshman catcher Catrin Hoffman on an attempt to catch a runner stealing second base. However, Lacina gathered the ball and launched it home to get out the SUU runner who took off for third. In the top of the 7th, Russo threw back-to-back strikeouts.
In the final game, freshman pitcher Chase Mueller earned her first win of the season, throwing in four innings and allowing only four hits.
Ella Beeman, sophomore pitcher from Lowell, Arkansas, entered to pitch innings five and six, keeping the Thunderbirds from scoring. SUU had the bases loaded in the 6th, but Beeman forced a pop-out to Lacina.
“I just wanted to give them an opportunity to go out there… There’s longevity to the sport, and you can’t just throw, throw and throw. We have to get others some innings so we can be healthy in May,” Koons said.
On Wednesday, the Wildcats will host Texas Tech University at 6 p.m., before traveling to Utah this weekend to face off against conference-opponent Utah Valley University in a three-game series, Friday at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., with Saturday’s game taking place at 1 p.m.
