Crusaders Drop Two to Austin
IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas softball team started their conference campaign against Austin College on Saturday. They dropped both games of their double-header, falling to 4-9 overall on the year.
GAME 1 - Dallas 0, Austin 11
WP: Hailie Swiatkowski (2-1)
LP: Caitlynn Freyman (2-4)
Despite what the final score says, game one was mostly even for six innings. The Roos didn't drive in an earned run until the fifth inning, and were only up 3-0 at that point because of defensive miscues by Dallas.
Two errors in the first saw the Roos plate the first run of the game without recording a base hit, then their second run was brought in on a two-out wild pitch in the third inning. Dallas struggled to respond at the plate, and were held hitless the first time through the lineup.
The Crusaders had the makings of a two-out rally in the fourth with back-to-back singles by Sara Hey and Daniela Rosario, but could make nothing of it. The Roos finally earned a run in the fifth with a single and an RBI double; Caitlynn Freyman got out of a bases loaded jam to limit the damage.
But the Roos piled on the runs in the top of the seventh to put the game effectively out of reach, scoring eight runs on seven hits. Dallas loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, but would leave them loaded as the Roos won 11-0.
GAME 2 - Dallas 1, Austin 9
WP: Allie Jeter (3-2)
LP: Isabella Garza (0-3)
Austin quickly took a 1-0 lead in the first, leading off the inning with back-to-back base hits. The Roos made it a 7-0 game with six runs on four hits in the second, taking advantage of a pair of errors by UD.
The Crusaders pulled one back in the second, thanks to a triple by Maria Hinojosa and a sac fly by Katie Duffy-Relf to bring her in. Austin added runs in the third and the fifth while holding Dallas scoreless to make it 9-1, giving Dallas just three outs to cut into the deficit and keep the game alive.
They went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth, giving Austin the mercy win.
The series will conclude tomorrow (March 19) with a pair of games, starting at 12:00 p.m.