AUSTIN, Texas – Summer Harper and Haley Dennett each had a pair of hits as well as an RBI, but it was not enough as the Concordia Texas softball team dropped a 5-2 decision Sunday night against Pacific Lutheran at Tornado Softball Field.
 
The Tornados got 4.0 quality innings from starting pitcher Simone Langland as well as 3.0 innings in relief out of Taylor Verinsky as they fall to 0-1 to kick off the 2019 campaign.  
 
Harper and Dennett got the scoring started early for CTX, as Dennett singled to open the game and was later drove in by an RBI single from Harper to give the Tornados an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Lutes answered back by scoring a single run in the second, third and fourth innings to grab a 3-1 advantage.
 
In the bottom half of the fifth, Dennett came through once again as she ripped a line drive up the middle to bring home Payton Walker and make the score 3-2.
 
PLU responded quickly, however, with two runs in the top half of the sixth inning and cruised to a 5-2 victory.
 
Harper, a junior out of Cypress, Texas, finished the game 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI while Dennett, a senior out of Edinburg, Texas, also went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
 
In the circle, Langland tossed 4.0 innings allowing just two earned runs on six hits. Verinsky, meanwhile, gave up five hits and two earned runs over 3.0 innings of work.
 
The Tornados will return to action Monday when they face off against PLU in game two of the series beginning at 1:30 at Tornado Softball Field.