GEORGETOWN, Texas – Southwestern got out to leads in both games of the doubleheader, but Texas Lutheran was able to rally late in each game for the pair of wins, 8-5 and 9-8.
In the Pirates first at bat, Karen Ramirez reached base with a full count walk. She advanced to second on a single to left field by Ashleigh Scott. Then Tessa Galloway took a four pitch walk to load the bases with no outs. Caroline Young hit a bases clearing two out double to left center and Michelle Ramos hit an RBI double of her own to give the Bucs a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Kayla Irvin led off the bottom of the third with a single to right field. She was replaced by pinch runner Victoria Vasquez who advanced to second on a bloop single by Stacy Rosengren. Young loaded the bases with another bloop single to center field. Michelle Ramos followed with a RBI infield single to the shortstop to give the Pirates the 5-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Ashley Jacobsen hit a solo home run over the wall in left center for the Bulldogs to cut it to a 5-1 game.
Texas Lutheran rallied in the seventh, scoring seven runs on four hits and an error to take the 8-5 lead and secured the victory. Caroline Young led Southwestern by going 2-4, with a double and three runs batted in.
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The Bulldogs struck first in game two as Jacobsen led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. She moved over to third on a ground out by Grace Estes. Hope Estes singled home Jacobsen and later stole second. She scored on a single by Jennifer Gallagher to give TLU the early 2-0 lead.
Galloway got things going with two outs in the first with a single through the left side. Irvin followed with a bloop single towards second base. Both runners advanced on a passed ball to give the Pirates two runners in scoring position. Then Rosengren hit a two run double that bounced off the wall in left center field to tie the game at 2-2.
TLU's Taylor Yancey led off the top of the second with a double to the wall in left center. She advanced to third on a single up the middle by McMillan, who took second on the throw. Gorrie followed with a bloop single to right field that scored Yancey and give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.
The visitors added two more runs in the fourth, one of which came on a Yancey lead off solo home run to right field.
The Pirates would rally in the bottom half as Ramos hit a two out single to right field. Then Biggers slapped a single towards first base. O'Connor followed with a two RBI double to left center for the Bucs'. Then Ramirez hit a RBI double of her own to tie the game. Scott made it a RBI double trifecta to give the Pirates the lead. Then Galloway drew a walk and Irvin hit a line drive single off the wall in left center for another run to give Southwestern a 7-5 cushion.
The Bulldogs rallied again late, getting a run apiece in each of the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game at 7-7. Southwestern got a pair of singles from Rosengren and Young in the bottom of the seventh, but the TLU defense held and put the game into extra innings.
Texas Lutheran broke the tie with two outs when Brittany Upton reached on an error that scored two runs to give them a 9-7 lead. The Bucs' got a run back on a Ramirez sacrifice fly that scored Biggers, but it was all they could muster and fell short 9-8.
The Pirates' offense combined for 8 runs on 14 hits, including 4 doubles. Southwestern moves to 5-5 on the year and TLU advances to 4-2 following the doubleheader.
Southwestern travels to Our Lady of the Lake University for a twin bill on Wednesday, February 27th with the first pitch set for 1:00pm.