GEORGETOWN, Texas – Southwestern softball stranded 16 base runners in their SCAC double-header against Texas Lutheran on Friday, falling 10-4 and 4-1.
Texas Lutheran struck first with one run in the second inning on a slow roller to second by Hope Estes that brought home Taylor Yancey. Southwestern began to orchestrate a response with back-to-back singles from Michele Ramos and Christina Crandall, but couldn't capitalize as Lochte got out of the jam to keep TLU up 1-0.
The Bulldogs added three runs in the third on back to back doubles with two outs, extending their lead to four, 4-0, through two and a half.
After TLU scored three more runs in the fourth, SU finally got on the board with one swing as Ashleigh Scott drilled the first pitch she saw to right center, bringing home two runs to cut TLU's lead to five, 7-2.
Southwestern continued to get runners on base but weren't able to bring them around until Scott brought home Linsay Biggers with no outs in the sixth. A sacrifice fly to center from Tessa Galloway brought home Karen Ramirez and cut into the Bulldogs' lead to 8-4.
A huge two-run homerun over the right field fence by Estes in the top of the seventh made SU's hole even bigger and proved to be too much as the Pirates pushed just two runs across in the bottom of the seventh to drop game one 10-6.
Southwestern outhit Texas Lutheran in game one 17-16, but left 12 runners on base while the Bulldogs stranded just six. Nicole Gibbs garnered the loss while Amanda Lochte stays perfect on the year to gather her third win with five innings of work.
Scott and Ramos posted three hits each to lead offensively in game one while Scott drove in four runs.
Southwestern wasted no time in game two getting on the board, pushing a run across in the first thanks to a shot by Tessa Galloway to bring home Ramirez.
TLU seemed poised to score the equalizer in the third with a leadoff bunt single by Gorrie, but Nicole Gibbs and the Pirate defense took care of the business and kept the run from scoring.
Again in the fourth the Bulldogs got multiple runners in scoring position, but each time the Pirates made the heads up play to get the lead runner and keep TLU off the scoreboard.
After a leadoff bloop single, Yancey single-handedly gave the lead to the Bulldogs with a two-run homerun over the left center fence in the sixth. TLU added one more in the inning to go up 3-1 through five and a half.
Grace Estes's solo homerun to left field put SU down 4-1 heading into the bottom half of the seventh and the Pirates weren't able to get anything going in response to drop game two.
Cozette Palmer garnered the game two loss while Taylor Grissom earned the complete game win.
Southwestern falls to 5-12-1 on the year and 2-4 in the SCAC while Texas Lutheran improves to 9-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in conference action. The two teams square off again for a double-header Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.