GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE
Farmers Branch, Texas –
Jordan Berry went a combined 5-for-5 with two RBI, but the Concordia University Texas softball team dropped both of its games on the first day of the American Southwest Conference First Pitch Tournament against a pair of nationally-ranked opponents on Friday, March 4 at Oran Good Park. The Tornados came up short in their opener to Louisiana College, 8-4, before falling to Texas-Tyler by a 9-3 decision.
Louisiana College (5-0), which is ranked second in the nation and has not lost at the annual tournament since 2004, jumped out to a 5-0 lead by plating two runs in the first, one in the second and another two in the fifth frame in the opening game for both teams. Daniele Wilson helped key the offense during the stretch by hitting a sacrifice fly in the first and belting an RBI double to left two innings later. An infield single by Carli Wheeler extended the Wildcat lead to 5-0.
Concordia, however, made a fierce attempt to rally and cut the deficit to a single run by scoring four times in the top of the sixth. After
Jessica Rattan came home on a wild pitch to put the Tornados on the board before Berry doubled to the gap in left center to plate two more runs.
Vicky Recek then reached on a fielding error by Wilson to make it 5-4, setting the stage for
Teylor Schiefelbein with one out and runners on the corner. The freshman put the ball in play, but Berry was gunned down at home for what would have been the tying run.
Lauren Vansickle's chance to put the Tornados ahead with Recek and Schiefelbein in scoring position was unsuccessful, as she hit a grounder to third for the inning's final out. In the bottom half of the sixth, Wilson broke the game open and sealed the outcome with a three-run homer to dead center.
Schiefelbein dropped to 2-2 on the season in the losing effort for Concordia. She surrendered eight runs, including four earned, while fanning five in six innings of work. Louisiana College's Rene Schwartzenburg, the ASC East Division Preseason Pitcher of the Year, went the distance and improved to 2-0 after registering eight strikeouts and yielding eight hits and four runs which were earned.
Texas-Tyler, which entered the tournament ranked 25th in the country, scored a run in the first inning to take a quick lead over Concordia in the Tornados' second game of the day. Katelyn Thomason drew a one-out walk with the bases loaded which forced in Brittanni Hanna.
The Tornados fought back and took a 2-1 lead by plating one run in the second and third frames. Rattan, who was issued a leadoff walk to start the second, came home on a wild pitch, before a triple by Schiefelbein in the following inning sent Berry home.
But the Patriots used a five-run fifth and a three-run sixth to earn their 19th straight victory at the annual tournament. Ashlee Johnson and Rachel Howell each drove in three runs with one swing of the bat by doubling and going yard, respectively, to provide the insurance Texas-Tyler would need.
Kat Moreno took the loss for Concordia and dropped to 2-3 on the year. She gave up nine hits and nine runs which were all earned while fanning two and issuing five walks in 5.1 innings of work. Schiefelbein entered the game in relief and retired both batters she faced. Texas-Tyler's Stacy Shepherd relieved Thomason in the fifth and picked up the victory to improve to 3-1. She allowed three hits and one run.
Concordia (5-5), which has only lost to teams that advanced to the 2010 NCAA Tournament so far this spring, wraps up competing at the ASC First Pitch Tournament tomorrow with games against Texas-Dallas at 10 a.m. and Ozarks at 5:30 p.m.
-agate-
Concordia 000 004 0 4 8 1
#2 Louisiana College (5-0) 201 023 x 8 10 2
Concordia:
Teylor Schiefelbein and
Alex Smith.
Louisiana College: Rene Schwartzenburg and Amber Thomas.
Concordia (5-5) 011 000 1 3 5 0
#25 Texas-Tyler (8-2) 100 053 x 9 9 0
Concordia:
Kat Moreno,
Teylor Schiefelbein (6) and
Alex Smith.
Texas-Tyler: Katelyn Thomason, Stacy Shepherd and Brittanni Hanna.
