Crusaders End Season with Sweep of Austin College

SHERMAN, Texas - The University of Dallas softball team won their conference double header with Austin College on Saturday.  The Crusaders end the season with a 4-16 conference record and a 7-31 overall record on the year.

Game 1 - Dallas 6, Austin 3

WP: Caitlynn Freyman (2-7)

LP: Karsen Lampkin (1-3)

The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead, Annabel Anderson bringing home the Emily Luna thanks to an error by the shortstop.  A wild pitch in the third doubled the lead as Luna scored from third.

Madison Coutts came up clutch with the bases loaded to bust the game open, doubling to left center to clear the bases and give the Crusaders a 5-0 lead, advancing the third base on the throw that tried to nab Luna at the plate.  Jennifer Schmalz brought her home on a groundout to short, making it 6-0 Dallas.

The Roos answered back with a pair of runs in the fourth and one more in the third, but Caitlynn Freyman was able to hold them off.  Austin nearly turned the game on its head in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but Freyman managed to snuff out the threat before any damage was done.  A scoreless seventh gave her the complete game win, going all seven innings and allowing three earned runs on eight hits.

Game 2 - Dallas 12, Austin 6

WP: Karina Campo (5-14)

LP: Aubri Dayle Smith (1-6)

SV: Devinne Green (1)

The first inning was eventful to say the least, with the two teams combining for five runs on seven hits.  Jennifer Schmalz opened the scoring with an RBI double, bringing home Emily Luna, but was thrown out trying to extend to a triple.  Annabel Anderson made it 2-0 with a solo home run immediately after.  The Roos answered back with three runs on four hits, three of them going for extra bases.  They had runners on first and third after another single, then loaded the bases after a hit batter, but Karina Campo got out of the jam.

Dallas went on to score nine unasnwered runs across the third, fourth, and fifth innings.  Schmalz had an RBI single in the third, Bri Hale and Karina Campo brought in two runs with back-to-back base hits in the fourth, then the Crusaders struck for six runs on five hits in the fifth.  The teams traded blows over the next inning and a half, but the Roos could not cut deep enough into the deficit as Dallas saw out the win.

Anderson went 3-4 in the game, scoring three runs including her solo home run.  Caitlynn Freyman also had three hits in the game, driving in one run.  Coutts, Schmalz, and Sara Hey each had two hits in the game, Schmalz and Hey driving in two runs, and Coutts bringing home one.  Every Crusader who had an at bat in the game drove in a run.

The double header sweep gives the Crusaders their second conference series win of the season; it's the first time they've won two conference series in a single season since 2017.