'Roo Softball Splits with Dallas

IRVING, Texas - The Austin College softball team split its Saturday twinbill at the University of Dallas, winning game one 16-7 before falling 11-1 in game two. With two of three wins this weekend, the 'Roos win the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series and improve to 2-20 overall and 2-10 in conference play.

The 'Roos jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening frame of game one, with Reagan Brinkley getting the scoring started by driving in Tori Fowler and Hannah King adding an RBI double. Hailie Swiatkowski knocked in the third run of the inning, but Dallas got two runs back in the bottom half of the first to cut it to a 3-2 game. Austin College pushed five runs across in the second to make it an 8-2 game, with Jadyn Myers coming home on an error and Brinkley following with a two-run double. Chyrsi Hemby added a run-scoring double of her own to plate Brinkley, and King drove in Hemby with a single for the fifth run of the frame.

Once again, the Crusaders got two runs back in the bottom half of the inning and tacked on another in the third to trim the margin to 8-5, but Austin College scored five again in the fourth to make it 13-5. McKinley Hankins got the scoring started in the inning by drawing a walk with the bases loaded, and Myers doubled down the line in left to plate two more runs. Brinkley added another RBI to round out the Austin College offense in the fourth. Swiatkowski doubled home a run in the fifth to make it 14-5, and an error brought home another run in the inning before Brinkley got yet another RBI to push it to a 16-5 game. The Crusaders added two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the game ended via the run-rule after the 'Roos closed the door to secure the win.

Hankins earned the win for the 'Roos, surrendering one run on three hits in 3.0 innings of relief work, while King was 4-for-4 with two RBI, Fowler was 4-for-5 with a double, a triple, three stolen bases, and three runs scored, and Brinkley finished the game 3-for-5 with five RBI. Ava Trevino took the loss for Dallas after giving up seven runs on six hits in 1.0 innings of work.

Game two saw the 'Roos take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second as Tessa Contreras drove in Swiatkowski, but an error in the third allowed the Crusaders to tie things up. After the 'Roos were unable to regain the lead in the top of the fourth, the Crusaders exploded for 10 runs in the inning on their way to ending the game 11-1 via the run-rule after five. 

Brinkley absorbed the loss in the circle, giving up 10 runs, nine earned, on seven hits in 3.1 innings of action, while Fowler led the 'Roos at the dish with a 2-for-3 performance and another stolen base. MacKenzie Flocke was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs to lead Dallas.