IRVING, Texas - Trinity softball improves to 21-23 on the season after splitting day two of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. The Tigers dropped an eight-inning heartbreaker to Texas Lutheran University (2-1) but survived the late comeback from the University of St. Thomas (10-9) to advance to the conference championship. The Trinity offense exploded for 17 hits in the St. Thomas game. 

Senior Cat Patterson (West Columbia, Texas / Brazosport Christian) broke two school records today. The hurler is now first all-time in appearances in a season with 34. The previous record of 32 was set in 2000 by Rebecca Sanders. Patterson also set a new record for innings pitched in a season with 183.2 innings thrown. Sanders previously held the record with 180.2. 

Patterson threw 8.1 innings in the walk-off loss to TLU. The senior gave up eight hits with one earned run. In game two, she collected the save, tossing 2.2 innings with no earned runs given up on two hits. 

Sophomore Dawson Dabboussi (Dallas, Texas / Highland Park) pinch-hit late in game one and drove in the game-tying run. Sophomore Jordyn Williams (Clayton, Calif. / Clayton Valley) went 2-for-4 at the plate in game two with a homer and a double. Senior Sammie Whitman (Austin, Texas / Lake Travis) was a perfect 4-for-4 against the Celts and added two runs. 

Game One Rundown (Texas Lutheran 2, Trinity 1) 

Whitman led the game off with a single and moved up to second but was left on base to end the inning. The Bulldogs struck first and pushed a run across in the first inning. With two outs, TLU singled and advance to third on a fielding error. The very next batter singled to bring that runner in and put Texas Lutheran up 1-0. 

The Tiger's offense was fairly quiet until the fifth inning. Senior Brianna Pena (La Porte, Texas / La Porte) led the top half of the fifth inning off with a single up the middle. Williams then moved Pena up to second on a sacrifice bunt. A few batters later, Dabboussi came in to pinch-hit. Pena advanced to third on a passed ball during the at-bat.  With a 2-2 count, Dabboussi singled to bring in Pena and even the score at 1-1. 

Defense was on full display throughout the game. Both teams used inning-ending double plays to escape the seventh inning and keep the game tied 1-1. Pena reached first on a fielding error with one out but the following TLU turned a 4-6-3 double play to close out the top half of the seventh. The leadoff batter for the Bulldogs singled. The next hitter doubled with one out to put runners on second and third. Patterson walked the next batter to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh. With the game on the line, Patterson delivered a pitch that was popped up, the senior caught the ball and swiftly threw it to third to double up the TLU runner that was still off the bag. 

With the semifinals game in the eighth inning, first-year Sydney Watson (San Antonio, Texas / San Antonio Christian) singled on a ball that was smoked to the third baseman. First-year Lanie Smith (Foxfield, Colo. / Regis Jesuit) came in to pinch-hit and walked to put runners on first and second. Sophomore Marina Delaluna (Concord, Calif. / Concord) loaded te bases after being hit by a pitch but the Tigers were unable to plate a run to take the late lead. 

In the bottom of the ninth, the leadoff hitter walked and ultimately scored on the walk-off single to center field. 

Game Two Rundown (Trinity 10, St. Thomas 9) 

Whitman walked to lead the game off then advanced to third on a double from Delaluna. First-year Abigail Miller (Winnetka, Calif. / El Camino Real) brought in the first run of the night on a sacrifice fly to left field. Shortly after, Pena singled to center field and then stole second. Williams followed that by blasting a two-run homer to right field to put the Tigers up 4-0 after a half-inning of play. Junior Emery Boettcher (Fredericksburg, Texas / Fredericksburg) started in the circle for the Tigers. Boettcher gave up back-to-back singles but still kept the elts off the scoreboard. 

In the top of the second, senior Jenna Kash (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) reached first on a fielding error and advanced to second on a single from Whitman. Delaluna followed that up with a single up the middle to score Kash. Miller then singled to load the bases with one out. The next at-bat, Dabboussi delivered with her second RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly to right field to extend the Tiger lead to 6-0. 

Williams led off the third inning with a double to left center. Sophomore Diamond Elizondo (San Antonio, Texas / Stevens) came in to pinch-run for Williams and later scored on a single from first-year Alexa Saucedo (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen). Smith followed with an RBI single of her own. Kash re-entered to run for Smith and advanced to second on a single from Whitman. Delaluna was then hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Miller took advantage and singled to bring in another run. The Tigers took a 9-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning. 

Senior Kristina Kish (Tucson, Ariz. / Canyon Del Oro) reached on a pinch-hit single in the top of the fourth inning. First-year Leah Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas / East Central) made a pinch-hit appearance and got hit by a pitch which put runners in first and second. Whitman followed with a single to load the bases but the Tigers were unable to capitalize. Boettcher continued to cruise in the circle until surrendering two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, which made the score 9-2 in favor of Trinity. 

St. Thomas took advantage of four walks, two hits, and one hit by a pitch to score five runs and make the score 9-7 after five innings of play. Boettcher walked a batter and gave up a single before first-year Kaylee Ortiz (Fullerton, Calif. / Fullerton Union) came in in relief. Ortiz recorded one out but walked three batters and hit a batter. Patterson was called in from the arm barn to help the Tigers escape the inning before any more damage was done. The senior forced a pop-up and ground out to get out of the inning. 

Saucedo walked to lead off the sixth and advanced to second on a Gonzalez fly out to left. Saucedo then advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single down the left field line from Whitman to give Trinity an insurance run and make the score 10-7 heading into the bottom of the sixth. 

The Celts started the home half of the seventh off back-to-back singles. Both runners then moved up a base on a passed ball. UST scored two unearned runs before Trinity made the final out of the game to advance to the SCAC Championship. 

Championship Sunday

The No. 3 seeded Tigers will face No. 1 seeded Texas Lutheran in the SCAC Championship. Trinity will have to beat TLU twice to bring the trophy home. The Tigers are in the conference championship for the first time since 2016. Coincidentally, TU and TLU met in the 2016 championship as well. The first game of the day is slated to start at 1:00 p.m.