AUSTIN, Texas – Summer Harper and Maddy Ellison would each drive in three runs and the Concordia Texas softball team would overcome a five-run deficit to defeat Pacific Lutheran 11-7 in the series finale on Monday.

The Tornados would score 11 runs on 12 hits by nine different players, aided by a six-run fourth inning outburst. Harper would go 2-for-3 from the plate with three RBIs, while Anissa Garcia also had two hits, scoring twice and driving in a pair.

The Lutes would strike first, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, all of them coming in the second inning. Concordia Texas would get one back in the third headed before PLU added on two more in the fourth and the Tornados trailed 6-1 heading into the bottom half of the inning.

The first five batters would tally a hit before the Lutes recorded an out, including a two-run double from Garcia cutting the lead to three. Haley Dennett would make it 6-5 after a sac fly and two batters later Harper would send a double over the center fielder, driving in two runs and giving CTX its first lead of the game.

Pacific Lutheran would knot it up at 7-7 in the next half inning, but the Tornados responded quickly in the bottom half of the fifth. After a walk and Lutes error to start the inning, Maddy Ellison would single into center, bringing home both runners, putting CTX back on top for good.

Heather Casiano, who entered to pitch in the third, allowed only three runs over three innings of work to pick up her first career win. Simone Langland, meanwhile, would come on in the sixth and pitch two scoreless innings  for the save and the Tornados picked up their first win of 2019, defeating PLU 11-7.

Concordia Texas will have a long break until their next matchup when they will travel to Seguin, Texas to take on Texas Lutheran, who finished the last season ranked No. 12 in the nation, in a doubleheader on Feb. 12 at 4 and 6 p.m.