AUSTIN, Texas – With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh inning,
Megan Hooper came home to score the winning run on a passed ball, and The Concordia Texas softball team earned a walk-off 6-5 win over Schreiner in their home opener on Wednesday.
The Tornados took a 5-0 lead into the seventh, but a big inning from the Mountaineers evened the score and forced CTX to employ some late-game magic. Hooper led off the inning with a single and eventually came around to score, securing the Tornados' first win of the young season.
Ashley Hallmark put together a stellar game at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI single and a three-run homer.
In the first inning,
Myranda Billman worked a leadoff walk and stole second and third base, eventually scoring on an errant throw from the catcher to give the Tornados an early 1-0 lead.
Bailey Tisdale retired the first six Schreiner batters in order, recording a pair of strikeouts along the way, and worked around a pair of walks in the third to keep the 1-0 lead intact.
Erica Riley blasted a two-out double in the bottom of the third, leading to Hallmark's first RBI of the day as she poked a single through the right side. With three frames in the books, the Tornados led 2-0.
In the bottom half of the fifth,
Cristina Ayala laced a single and Riley reached base on a walk, setting the table for a three-run blast from Hallmark. Heading into the sixth inning, Concordia Texas extended the lead out to 5-0.
Tisdale took a no-hitter into the final inning, but things began to unravel as the Schreiner bats woke up. The Tornados called upon Chaynua Johnson in relief, and she was able to limit the damage. The sophomore punched out a pair and worked out of the jam, but not before the Mountaineers tied the game at 5-5.
With CTX in need of some late-game heroics, a leadoff single from Hooper was a start in the right direction, and Ayala executed a sacrifice bunt to move her over to second. After Hallmark and
Amber Hatfield worked back-to-back walks, the bases were loaded, and a passed ball sent Hooper scrambling home to score the walk-off run. In their first home game of the season, the Tornados came away with a 6-5 victory.
Concordia Texas will be back at Tornado Softball Field for their next contest, playing the first two of a three-game set against Howard Payne as they kick off American Southwest Conference play with a doubleheader on Friday beginning a 4 p.m.
