GAME ONE BOX SCORE

GAME TWO BOX SCORE

Georgetown, Texas – Lauren Vansickle went 2-for-3 in the opener and laid down a successful bunt that sparked a three-run 10th inning in the nightcap as the Concordia University Texas softball team split a twinbill with Southwestern on Friday, Feb. 26 at Taylor Sanders Field. The Pirates took the first game, 3-0, before the Tornados came out on top of the nightcap by a 4-3 score in a 10-inning marathon.

After seven scoreless innings in the second game, Vicky Recek was able to get things going for the Tornados by hitting a single to start the eighth. Recek moved over to third on a bunt single by Marissa Ayala followed by a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Vansickle before Jessica Rattan was walked to load the bases. Recek then scored the game's first run on the next play when she beat out a throw home by Lauren Zearfross on a bunt by Erin Duhon. Southwestern, however, scored the game-tying run in the bottom half of the frame with their backs against the wall when Kayla Irvin found an open spot in right field for an RBI single, extending the game even further.

With the international tiebreaker in effect to start the 10th and the game still deadlocked at 1-1, Concordia was able to plate three runs by registering two hits and taking full advantage of a Pirate defensive blunder. Kat Moreno, who started the inning at second base, came home on the first play when third baseman Jacquelin Rosson threw the ball into right field after cleanly scooping up a Vansickle bunt.

The Tornados followed up by putting two more runners in scoring position when Jessica Rattan hit a bunt single that stayed fair down the third base line. A sacrifice bunt by Duhon would then score Vansickle before Meghan Ferrell found a hole in left center for a single that would stand as the game-winning hit.

In the bottom half of the same frame, Amanda Ambrose started at second and advanced to third on a single by Turpin to right. Teylor Schiefelbein then loaded the bases by hitting Rosson with a pitch. After two Pirates were retired by popping out, Katelyn Pavlicek trimmed the Tornado lead to one by driving in two runs on a single. Schiefelbein, however, recovered and induced a groundout to Rattan at short for the game's final out.

Schiefelbein, a true freshman for Concordia, earned the victory in the circle and improved her record to 2-1. She allowed 11 hits and three runs, including two earned, in 10 innings of work while fanning two and not issuing a walk. Zearfross, who entered the game with an 0.77 ERA while allowing only two earned runs, suffered the loss and fell to 3-2. She struck out 10 and walked only one Tornado hitter, but the junior transfer also allowed nine hits and four runs, including two earned, for Southwestern (4-6).

Concordia put itself in a position to go ahead early in the first game by loading the bases in the opening frame. Recek and Vansickle singled, while Rattan reached on an infield error with only one out recorded. But the Tornados could not push a run across as the next two hitters were retired by Lyndsy Maus.

After Concordia stranded two more runners in scoring position in the third, Southwestern capitalized on a pair of Tornado defensive miscues to accumulate all of the scoring they needed to pull out the victory. Tessa Galloway, who singled to start the inning, came home three batters later on an infield error to make it 1-0. The Pirates doubled their lead when Taylor Turpin grounded out to third, plating Amanda Ambrose, and sealed the final outcome when Irvin reached on another Tornado blunder in the infield.

Concordia's Moreno was tagged with the loss and dropped to 2-2 after yielding six hits and three runs, including one earned, while registering one strikeout. Southwestern's Maus improved to 1-3 by hurling her first shutout of the season. She allowed six hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out six Tornado hitters.

Concordia (5-3) continues its stretch of playing six straight games against four 2010 NCAA Tournament teams when it heads to Farmer's Branch, Texas for the ASC First-Pitch Tournament. The Tornados will open the weekend with games against third-ranked Louisiana College and 25th-ranked Texas-Tyler on Friday, March 4.
-agate-
Concordia                    000     000     0     0     6     2
Southwestern              000     030     0     3     6     1
     Concordia: Kat Moreno and Alex Smith.
     Southwestern: Lyndsy Maus and Abigail O'Connor.

Concordia (5-3)           000     000     010     3     4     9     0
Southwestern (4-6)     000     000     010     2     3    11   4
     Concordia: Teylor Schiefelbein and Alex Smith.
     Southwestern: Lauren Zearfross and Kaylee Kucharski.