AUSTIN, Texas – It took nine innings, but the Concordia Texas softball team put up four runs in the top of the ninth to take home a thrilling 8-4 win over LeTourneau at Tornado Softball Field on Monday.

Six total players recorded at least one hit and one RBI as CTX won the series finale and took home the series win to move to 6-6, 3-3 in American Southwest Conference play on the year.

The Tornados scored the first four runs of the game and the last four runs of the game and Heather Casiano (4-0) and Simone Langland combined to allow just two earned runs on five hits over 9.0 innings to secure the victory.

The two teams remained scoreless through the first three innings, but CTX finally broke through in the fourth when Kayla Patton lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Ashley Hallmark.

In the fifth, the Tornados were able to go ahead by four runs thanks to some timely hitting.

Breanna Heredia started the scoring with an RBI double to left center and was subsequently brought home on another RBI double off the bat of Haley Dennett. Dennett then raced home on an RBI groundout from Hallmark to put CTX up 4-0.

After retiring the first 15 batters of the game, Langland finally surrendered her first baserunner in the sixth. The Yellow Jackets managed to tie the game in the inning and threatened to take the lead with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Casiano slammed the door, however, as she got two flyouts and a pickoff at third to end the threat and keep the game tied after six.

The score remained 4-4 until the top half of the ninth inning. After Patton hit a leadoff double and was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Olivia Kaase, Payton Walker was able to give CTX the lead for good with an RBI double down the left field line.

The Tornados added three more insurance runs in the inning, thanks to an error, a sacrifice fly from Dennett and an RBI single from Mycahla Howard.

In the bottom half of the ninth, Casiano did not waiver, sitting the Yellow Jackets down in order to help CTX grab the win. The sophomore from Killeen, Texas, picked up the win in the circle after tossing 4.0 innings, giving up no runs on just two hits.

Dennett, a senior from Edinburg, Texas, and Hallmark, a junior out of Burnet, Texas, and Walker, a senior from Liberty Hill, Texas, all had multi-hit games for the Tornados. Dennett finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored, Hallmark went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored and Walker closed the day 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Tornados continue their string of five games in three days on Tuesday when they take on Trinity at home in a doubleheader starting at 4:00 p.m.