SHERMAN, Texas –
Sarah Brooks launched a go-ahead two-run home run in an eight-run sixth inning as the Concordia Texas softball team defeated Hendrix in a split doubleheader against the Warriors and Austin College on Saturday.
The Tornados faced Hendrix in a neutral-site battle before taking on the Roos of Austin College in the second game of the day.
In the first game, CTX rallied from a five-run deficit thanks to home runs by
Maddy Ellison and Brooks to defeat the Warriors 10-5.
Hendrix opened the scoring with at least a run in each of the first four frames, building a 5-0 lead.
The Tornados responded in the bottom half of the fourth, as Ellison hit a one-out two-run home run to trim the lead to 5-2.
Concordia Texas completed the comeback in the sixth inning, batting around and pushing across eight runs. After a ground out opened the frame, the Tornados began their rally with five straight batters reaching.
Ashley Soto doubled to score
Bailey Bryan from second followed by a two-run single by her sister
Kirstie Soto, tying the game up at 5-all. Brooks continued the inning with biggest hit of the game, a two-run bomb to give CTX a 7-5 advantage. The Tornados added three more runs in the inning to take a 10-5 lead.
Meanwhile,
Taylor Gruell, who came in relief of Lauren Verasic in the fourth, tossed four innings of one-run ball to pick up the win as CTX won it 10-5.
Seven different batters recorded a hit for the Tornados, led by Ellison, who finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a pairs of runs scored and driving in two.
In the second game of the day, CTX jumped out to an early lead but it slipped away late as AC won 7-6 on a walk-off.
In the opening inning, the Tornados took advantage of a couple of Roos' errors to scratch across two runs.
Simone Langland, meanwhile, tossed three scoreless innings to open the game, but CTX ran into trouble in the fourth, as AC put up five runs to take a 5-2 lead through four frames.
The Tornados bounced back in the following inning, as
Miranda Mueller and
Katie Hoke led off with back-to-back doubles score a run. Ellison cut the deficit to 5-4 with an RBI single, scoring Hoke, before a
Maria Arroyo RBI single later in the frame tied the game at 5-all.
Concordia Texas retook the lead in the top half of the seventh inning on a
Kirstie Soto RBI single, scoring
Brianna Kinnard, but the Roos loaded the bases in the bottom half of the frame and scored two runs to win on a walk-off 7-6.
Eight different Tornados recorded a hit, led by Hoke, Arroyo and
Ashley Hallmark, who each had two hits for the game.
Concordia Texas will return home to open conference play on Friday in a doubleheader against Belhaven with game times at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Tornado Softball Field.
