AUSTIN, Texas – The Concordia Texas softball team five game winning streak was snapped as they split the doubleheader against Hardin-Simmons on Saturday.
The Tornados jumped out to an early lead in the first game after a two-run first inning, and stellar pitching and defense helped secure a 3-0 victory.
Tisdale turned in a dominant performance in the circle, giving up no runs and scattering four hits while striking out four in a complete game of work, and she was credited with her eighth win of the season.
The Tornados filled up the run column early, scoring two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning.
Megan Hooper led things off with a hit by pitch, moving station-to-station and eventually scoring the first run of the contest thanks to an RBI single from
Erica Riley. After back-to-back singles from
Emily Moses and Macy Thompson, Riley came around to score on an HSU error to give CTX a 2-0 lead after one inning.
The remainder of the game was quiet, the two pitchers dueling back and forth, but the Tornados were finally able to push another run across in the bottom of the sixth thanks to an RBI single from
Ashley Hallmark. The Tornados were able to tack on additional insurance run, extending their lead to 3-0 heading into the final frame.
The Cowgirls had one final chance to supply some offense, but
Tisdale stopped them in their tracks and retired the final three hitters. Concordia Texas took game one of the doubleheader 3-0.
The second game of the day began as a back-and-forth affair, but back-to-back big innings from HSU helped them pull away, and the Tornados fell 7-4.
Hardin-Simmons struck first, pushing a run across in the first frame on an RBI single to make it a 1-0 ballgame.
In the bottom of the inning, the Tornados answered when Moses delivered an RBI fielder's choice, evening the score at 1-1 after the first inning.
The Cowgirls regained the lead in the top of the third after an RBI single followed a leadoff triple, giving them a 2-1 advantage.
Once again, the Tornados provided the answer in the bottom of the inning. Hooper led off the inning with a base knock through the right side and advanced to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt from
Cristina Ayala, putting her in scoring position for an RBI single off the bat of Moses. After three innings, the score was tied at 3-3.
In the following frame, Hardin-Simmons took a 4-3 lead on an RBI single, and the Cowgirls followed that up with a solo homerun in the fifth inning, bringing the score to 4-2 in favor of HSU.
The Cowgirls tacked on three more runs in the sixth, picking up back-to-back RBI hits. Heading into the bottom half of the sixth, the Tornados trailed 7-2.
Concordia Texas earned a couple of runs back in the next frame, scoring two runs on back-to-back sacrifice flies from
Ashley Soto and Hooper. Heading into the seventh inning, the Tornados had closed the gap to 7-4.
With one last chance for a comeback, the Tornados were retired in order and came up short. Concordia Texas dropped game two of the doubleheader 7-4.
Moses picked up four base knocks and two RBI on the day, and Hooper recorded three hits to go along with a pair of stolen bases.
Concordia Texas will prepare for the rubber match on Friday, completing the series against Hardin-Simmons at Tornado Softball Field in Austin, Texas.
