GEORGETOWN, Texas — Southwestern seniors Maddie Mefford, Paige Rasmussen, and Kaylee White closed the chapter on their final games at Taylor-Sanders Field, writing their own storybook ending to sweep the Austin College Kangaroos on Senior Day.
Game 1: Southwestern 6, Austin College 2
Mefford provided the fireworks for her own senior day ceremony, delivering a three-RBI double to left-center in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead Southwestern to a 6-2 win over Austin College.
Both teams' defenses played with fire all afternoon, consistently allowing runners in scoring position but fighting back to leave a combined 17 runners stranded on base.
Austin College plated two runs early, opening the second inning with back-to-back singles. Southwestern responded with two consecutive outs, but after starting pitcher Madison Vela walked Alice Maisonet, Hailie Swiatkowski scored a two-RBI single to center field.
Vela went five innings, surrendering two runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
The Pirates tied the game in the fifth inning. Mefford put Southwestern on the scoreboard with an RBI single to center field, scoring Alex Fletes, who opened the inning with a walk. Sam Martinez followed with a single to left, and Jessey Nunez drove Mefford in with an RBI double to center.
Mattigan Aga replaced Vela in the pitcher's circle to start the sixth inning and walked two before escaping the inning unscathed.
Paige Shuck pinch-hit for Meghan McCarthy with one out in the sixth inning and came through with a single to center field. Fletes and Jodi Millhouse followed with back-to-back bunts for singles, loading the bases. Erica Otto drew a walk to score Shuck, then Mefford cleared all three runners with a frozen rope to left-center, giving her patented flex at second base.
The Southwestern defense took care of the rest, retiring three of four Austin College hitters in the seventh to end the game.
Mefford led Southwestern with a 3-for-4 hitting performance, driving in four RBIs and scoring a run. Nunez was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Millhouse, Martinez, Shuck, and Fletes each had one hit for Southwestern.
Game 2: Southwestern 3, Austin College 2
Samantha Saenz delivered a walk-off, two-RBI single to push Southwestern past Austin College 3-2 in the final game of the three-game series.
Rasmussen started in the pitcher's circle for Southwestern, delivering a strong performance in the complete-game victory. Rasmussen limited Austin College to five hits in seven innings with both runs unearned and three strikeouts.
Southwestern struck first in the bottom of the fifth inning. Millhouse started with a one-out single and Otto drew a walk. Then Mefford reached on a fielding error at second, scoring Millhouse.
Austin College took the lead in the seventh inning. Joli Kirkpatrick pinch-hit for Maisonet and drew a leadoff walk, then Avery Atencio doubled to centerfield and advanced to third with Kirkpatrick scoring on an error by Otto. Then, Calleigh King followed with a groundout to Mefford at second, scoring Atencio for the 2-1 lead.
Southwestern started the bottom of the inning in a great position, loading the bases with no outs with Otto drawing a walk and back-to-back singles from Mefford and Martinez. Austin College put Southwestern on the brink, however, with a double play on the force out at home and first.
Saenz followed with a shot down the third-base line that snuck past the outstretched glove of Austin College's diving third baseman, scoring Mefford and Fletes to win the game. Saenz hit 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk.
Mefford finished the day a combined 5-for-8, driving in five RBIs with two runs scored.
Southwestern improves to 13-22 with an 8-10 conference record. The Pirates are fifth in the SCAC standings, trailing Schreiner by two games with a three-game series between the two teams to close the regular season next weekend.