SAN ANTONIO - Trinity University Softball takes game one of the series against Southwestern on Friday night.
 
The Tigers (23-9) claimed a narrow 3-1 victory over the Pirates of Southwestern thanks to clutch hitting and defense. Jordan Arce (Thousand Oaks, California / Thousand Oaks) earned the win in the circle as she threw a complete game and only allowed one run while fanning five. Peyton Bowser (Arvada, Colorado / West) was the only Tiger to notch two hits on her way to delivering the game-winning double. As a team, the Tigers had three doubles and two stolen bases. All time, the Tigers are now 27-35 against Southwestern. 
 
The Rundown
 
The Tigers were on the scoreboard early as Samantha Tagawa (Agoura Hills, California / Agoura Hills) ran out a swinging bunt for the first hit of the game. Immediately after, she stole second for Sydney Watson (San Antonio, Texas / San Antonio Christian) to bring her over with a sacrifice bunt. In the blink of an eye, Hannah Boudreaux (Pearland, Texas / Shadow Creek) smashed a ball off the wall to score the first run of the game. Southwestern answered in the top of the second with one of their own and that's when the stalemate began. 
 
In the bottom of the second, Trinity went down in order but it was time for the defense to go to work. Southwestern got the first two hitters on to put a runner in scoring position with no outs. The next batter roped a ball into the 5-6 hole that looked like it would find the outfield turf but Angela Baltzell (Antioch, California / Freedom) showed her range with a sliding play and fired a rocket to first to get out number one. The next Pirate hitter sent a line drive to right for Marina Delaluna (Concord, California / Concord) to run in and snag it, she then sent a bullet to the plate to get the lead runner at home and Trinity escaped the jam without damage.
 
Donuts were put on the scoreboard in the third, fourth, and fifth innings but everything changed in the sixth. Arce struck out two on her way to putting up a goose egg in the top of the sixth and Head Coach Bailey Wittenauer said just the right words in the huddle to bring the sticks to life. Arce got the party started with a screamer down the line for a stand-up double. Sydney Boudreaux (Pearland, Texas / Shadow Creek) walked and TU had two on and no one out for Bowser. As her walk-up song says, she got the flow. Bowser struck a ball that found the gap in right-center and rolled to the wall, two runners scored and Bowser pumped her fist as Trinity took the 3-1 lead heading into the last inning. 
 
The final inning started shaky because Southwestern got two hits in a hurry. However, the Tiger defense was locked in and sat down the next three hitters and the TU softball fans exploded as Trinity took game one 3-1.
 
Up Next
 
The Tigers will finish their series against Southwestern tomorrow with a doubleheader at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.