GEORGETOWN, Texas – The Concordia Texas softball team stepped out of conference play on Wednesday, facing Southwestern in a doubleheader, falling in both games by a run differential of three.
In game one, the Tornados would come back from a two-run deficit to tie the game but the Pirates would walk it off in the seventh on a walk-off sac fly.
Southwestern would take advantage a three-error first inning for CTX to score two runs and lead after one.
The Tornados would cut the deficit in half in the four after
Ashley Hallmark and
Summer Harper reached base to lead off the inning. Hallmark would come home on
Miranda Mueller's infield single to make it 2-1.
Heather Casiano, coming her best pitching performance on Friday against McMurry, found a groove after the first, allowing only three hits over the next five frames and no runs.
In the sixth, CTX would even up the score with a two-out rally.
Harper would get it going with a one-out single to right-center, her third hit of the game. After a Mueller fielder's choice and a Brianna Heredia walk, the Tornados would pull off a double steal to move runners into scoring position.
Haley Dennett would bring home the game-tying run with a liner to third and we were knotted at 2-all after six innings played.
In the seventh, the Pirates would get a runner to third with one out and go on to score the go-ahead run on a sac fly to center field to end game one.
In game two, Southwestern would score in the first three innings and CTX was unable to complete the comeback, falling 4-2.
The Pirates would open the scoring with a run in the first and second innings and push across two more in the third to lead 4-0 after three frames.
The Tornados would counter two runs in the fourth to cut it to 4-2.
Payton Walker would open the inning with a walk and reach second on the ground out. Harper followed with a walk to put two runners on. Concordia Texas would score on the next at-bat as a Pirates' throwing error scored Walker and moved Harper to third. Hallmark would drop down a sac bunt to score the runner from third to trim the lead to 4-2.
The Tornados would put at least one runner on in the next two innings but were unable to take advantage and headed to the seventh trailing 4-2.
Anissa Garcia would pinch hit and reach on a one-out single in the final inning, but CTX were unable to comeback, falling to Southwestern.
Next, the Tornados will return to conference play when they face Mary Hardin-Baylor on March 29 in a doubleheader at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
