Bulldogs Split Opening Day Doubleheader against Division-II, #19 St. Mary's
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas Lutheran | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
|
St. Mary's (Tex.) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | X | 8 | 12 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Texas Lutheran | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
|
St. Mary's (Tex.) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The No. 4 Texas Lutheran softball team split their opening day doubleheader against 19th-ranked Division-II St. Mary's at The Park at St. Mary's University Wednesday night.
St. Mary's entered Wednesday night with an 8-1 2023 record and having won seven straight non-exhibition games against the Bulldogs. Texas Lutheran defeated the Rattlers in 2021 in a game that counted for the Bulldogs but not St. Mary's. The last win of record for Texas Lutheran in a game that counted for both squads prior to Wednesday came on April 2, 1999, when the two teams met in Heart of Texas conference action as NAIA squads.
The Rattlers extended their streak to eight straight against the Bulldogs in Texas Lutheran's season opener as the Bulldogs dropped their first game of the 2023 campaign, 8-5.
Texas Lutheran grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first following a sacrifice fly from newcomer Annie Kay (Sinton/Sinton) that scored fellow newcomer Caelee Clark (Montgomery/Lake Creek).
Sydney Ouellette (Corpus Christi/Gregory-Portland) got the season opening nod in the circle for the Bulldogs. She went three innings and allowed four earned runs. Senior Amanda White (Lockhart/Lockhart) pitched three innings in relief, striking out three and allowing four earned runs.
After St. Mary's tied the game one-all, TLU took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second inning as Kirsten Williams (Pearland/Glenda Dawson) scored following a Rattlers throwing error and an RBI double from Madison Johnson (Round Rock/Round Rock) that scored Linzee Leal (Corpus Christi/Mary Carroll).
St. Mary's would rally to take a 7-3 lead entering the sixth inning. Reagan Hillis (Cedar Park/Cedar Park) would drive in Baylee Chandler (Liberty/Liberty) to shrink the Rattler lead to 7-4. The Rattlers would tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to extend their lead to 8-4. TLU attempted a seventh inning rally - Bailey Hudgeons (Dripping Springs/Dripping Springs) would drive in Caelee Clark who would score from second base on a fly out in foul territory but the Bulldog rally would fall short.
TLU finished the day with a 5-0 shutout of the 19th-ranked Rattlers powered by one-hit performance from All-American pitcher Ashlyn Strother (Seabrook/Clear Falls). The senior kept the Rattlers without a hit for 3.2 innings, striking out three in a complete game performance.
Bailey Hudgeons put the Bulldogs ahead early with a two-RBI double in the first inning. Freshman Serena Gonzalez (Corpus Christi/Foy H. Moody), making her first collegiate start, would homer in the sixth inning to extend the Bulldog lead to 3-0. A seventh inning two-RBI double from Laura Hernandez (Missouri City/Ridge Point) brought the game to its final score of 5-0.
The Bulldogs continue opening week on Saturday, Feb. 18, with a doubleheader against the NAIA's Huston-Tillotson at 1 and 3 PM at Ed Kruse Stadium for TLU's 2023 home opener. All streaming and stat links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.
For more information on Texas Lutheran softball, follow the Bulldogs on Facebook (@txlutheransoftball), Twitter (@TLUsoftball), and Instagram (@tlu_softball) and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on Twitter, @tlu_athletics on Instagram and TikTok, and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).