SEGUIN, Texas — The Southwestern University Pirates split a doubleheader on a neutral field against the No. 24-ranked team in NCAA DIII, the Transylvania University Pioneers on Wednesday.
Game 1 — Transylvania 4, Southwestern 0
Starting pitchers Kameron Bowling and Southwestern University's Lindsey Longuet faced off in a pitchers' duel with both going the distance before Transylvania broke the game open in the top of the sixth.
Longuet retired six of the first eight hitters she faced, hitting a batter in the first inning and walking another in the second before finally giving up a single in the top of the third; followed by two strikeouts to get out of the inning unscathed.
She retired the side in the fourth inning, inducing three quick pop ups, and did the same in the fifth with a fly out to center field and two strikeouts.
Transylvania finally strung together some hits in the top of the sixth inning, leading off with back-to-back singles from Brittany Mumford and Shelby Gambrel. Janelle Hynes fouled out to the catcher but Annie Schuck followed with a RBI-single to right field.
Alyssa Nunn singled on a bunt, scoring Gambrell and Jessica Powell hit a two-RBI double, scoring Nunn and Laurel Major for a 4-0 lead.
Longuet pitched all seven innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs with eight strikeouts to fall to 3-2 on the season.
On the offensive end, the Pirates struggled to gain any traction against the Pioneers' Bowling, who pitched all seven innings, holding the Pirates to just two hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
Game 2 — Southwestern 3, Transylvania 1
The Pirates bounced back, getting on the scoreboard early with two runs in the bottom of the first, which was enough for starting pitcher Bailey Meyer, who threw a one-run gem, limiting Transylvania to four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Meyer retired three of the first four batters she faced, with one reaching on an error. The Pirates got a leadoff walk from Jordan Farber in the first followed by a Celeste Silvas bunt for a single. Both advanced on a wild pitch but Farber was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice grounder hit by Kaitlynn Copher.
Katie Bricarell followed with a RBI-single to left field, scoring Silvas; and after a Tori Montemayor walk, Maddie Mefford scored Copher on a groundout to the pitcher for a 2-0 lead.
Meyer went through the second and third innings without giving up a single hit before Transylvania struck in the fourth, leading off with a hit batter followed by a Meg Liter RBI-double to left center, scoring Brittany Mumford.
The Pirates had a three-up, three-down defensive inning in the fifth and gave up two hits in the sixth before getting out of the inning leaving both stranded.
Katelyn Francis added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with a solo blast over the left-field fence for a 3-1 lead.
Nadia Netek took the pitcher's circle in the top of the seventh, retiring the side with two groundouts and a strikeout to pick up the save.
With the split, the Pirates record is now 12-4. Southwestern will travel to Austin next Tuesday to play Huston-Tillotson on March 19 in a doubleheader starting at 2:00 p.m.