By Grant Abston, Sports Editor
Starting pitchers Jacque Gregoire and Kim Partin led ACU to a doubleheader sweep, winning 7-0 and 7-1 on Tuesday over nonconference opponent St. Mary’s University, allowing just one run in two games as ACU extended its winning streak to 10 games and improved to 26-9 overall.
The Wildcats remain in first place in the Lone Star Conference South Division and are ranked No. 3 in the region and No. 16 in the nation, according to the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association top 25. ACU will look to continue its win streak this weekend as it travels to Durant, Okla., for the LSC Crossover Tournament. The Wildcats will play six games in three days, beginning Friday, and will play six of the seven teams in the LSC North Division. “Those were regional games, so it helps strengthen our regional standings, which are important, and we want to stay on a roll going into the Crossover,” head coach Chantiel Wilson said.
In game one Tuesday, St. Mary’s took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after a throwing error allowed first baseman Arlynda Flores, who reached on a leadoff single, to score. However, right fielder Brooke Whittlesey singled home designated hitter Shelby McElvain in the bottom half of the innings to even the score at one. In the bottom of the fourth, ACU took the lead for good after short stop Melissa Rodriguez fouled out to left to score McElvain on the sacrifice fly, and Whittlesey recorded her second RBI of the game, singling home center fielder Caitlin Nabors to give ACU a two-run lead.
ACU added three more runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth as Gregoire pitched a complete game, going seven innings and allowing one unearned run on six hits to move to 14-3 on the season. Whittlesey and third baseman Nancy Sawyers finished with a game-high three hits, while Sawyers had a game-high three RBI after hitting her fourth home run of the season, and Whittlesey finished with two RBI. First baseman Katie Cornelison finished 2-4 with one RBI, while Rodriguez had the other RBI for ACU.
“Nancy Sawyers has really stepped up along with Katie Cornelison,” Wilson said. “I think that’s what’s been part of our success is that our team doesn’t wait for one person to get it done; everyone is stepping up.”
ACU continued to dominate St. Mary’s in game two as Partin picked up where Gregoire left off, allowing no runs on eight hits in a complete-game win to improve to 6-1. ACU got on the board in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead and broke the game wide open after scoring six runs in the fifth inning, keyed by a two-run single by catcher Jessica Shiery and a two-run double by Cornelison. Shiery finished 2-3 with three RBI and a solo home run, her eighth of the year, to lead ACU, while Cornelison finished 1-2 with two RBI. Nabors and Rodriguez added the other RBIs for ACU.
“[Kim] hasn’t tried to overpower hitters and has been a perfect complement to Jackie (Gentile),” Wilson said.
ACU will begin play in the LSC Crossover Tournament with a doubleheader Friday against Southeastern Oklahoma at 10:30 a.m. and Cameron at 12:30 p.m. ACU also will play a doubleheader Saturday and Sunday to finish the six-game tournament against LSC North Division opponents.
“The north is always extremely tough, and we have struggled against Midwestern and Southeastern,” Wilson said. “We want to even out the series with them and look to get other pitchers some work and get them back on a role and continue to hit behind whoever is pitching for us.”
