GEORGETOWN, Texas – A pair of dominant pitching performances set the tone for the Southwestern University Pirates softball team in sweeping the first doubleheader of a four-game home series against the Trinity University Tigers with two 2-0 victories.
Game 1 – Southwestern 2, Trinity 0
The Southwestern University Pirates scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, which was all SCAC Pitcher of the Week Lindsey Longuet needed to carry the 2-0 victory.
Kaitlyn Bricarell and Maddie Mefford hit back-to-back RBI singles up the middle, scoring Celeste Silvas and Kaitlynn Copher for the lone runs of the game.
Longuet was dominant throughout, opening the first inning with two strikeouts to retire the side. The SCAC leader in strikeouts had seven for the game, painting the corners to get ahead in the count, luring the batters with pitches just outside the strike zone to recalibrate their sense of it, and then freezing them with the payoff pitches.
She brought the ball in on hitters' hands, forcing them to hit easy grounders, or sent them chasing high for routine fly outs.
Longuet carried a perfect game into the top of the fifth inning until Danielle Ruiz managed a two-out single to left field for the only baserunner allowed all game. With the complete game shutout, Longuet improved to 9-2 on the season.
Game 2 – Southwestern 2, Trinity 0
Not to be outdone, Bailey Meyer carried a no-hitter into the top of the sixth inning, getting out of two jams to pick up the complete-game, shutout victory.
Meyer opened the game striking out six of the first 10 Tigers she faced, finishing with seven for the game. The junior right-hander showed poise early when the Tigers put two on with one out on a walk and an error by striking out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Southwestern struggled offensively too before finally breaking through in the bottom of the fifth after opening the inning with two consecutive groundouts. Katelyn Francis started things off by dropping a single just in front of the centerfielder's range. Katie Nixon followed with a double to left field, putting runners on second and third for a two-RBI single up the middle from Jordan Farber for the 2-0 lead.
Meyer surrendered a one-out double to left-center but the Pirates' defense turned a double play out of a double pickle to get out of the inning. The Tigers put together two more hits in the top of the seventh but Meyer induced a fly out to left field to end the game.
With the wins, the Pirates improve to 24-4, including 11-3 in conference play. Both teams will resume the series on Sunday, April 7 with the doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.