SAN ANTONIO - Trinity Softball takes two from Howard Payne on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers (10-4, 6-2 SCAC) secured a sweep against HPU, winning game one 10-2 and game two 7-4.
Ella Whitacre (Roanoke, Texas / Byron Nelson) had an impressive performance, going 5-for-8 with three runs scored.
Mariana Garcia (Goodyear, Arizona / Canyon View) also had a standout afternoon, recording three hits and three RBIs.
Meagan Brooks (Graham, Texas / Graham) contributed two RBIs in a pinch-hit appearance, helping to secure the run rule in game one.
Josephine Koelewyn (Reno, Nevada / Academy of Arts Careers and Technology) went 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs while also pitching five innings, allowing just two hits and two earned runs. In game two,
Sydney Watson (San Antonio, Texas / San Antonio Christian) and
Hayden Del Toro (Cypress, Texas / Cy Woods) each collected two hits.
Heather Nugent (Huntington Beach, California / Marina) earned her first win of the season with a dominant relief appearance in game two, holding Howard Payne hitless over the final three innings. She and starting pitcher
Megan Kriechbaum (Cedar Hills, Utah / Pleasant Grove) combined to limit the Yellow Jackets to just one run over the last six frames. Trinity's defense was flawless, committing no errors, while the offense tallied 12 hits to complete the sweep.
Game One - Tigers 10, Yellow Jackets 2
The Tigers came out strong in the first inning, quickly setting the tone for the game. After Whitacre reached base with a bunt single and stole second,
Hannah Boudreaux (Pearland, Texas / Shadow Creek) worked a walk to put two runners on.
Carsyn Lee (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) then reached on a fielder's choice, keeping the pressure on Howard Payne's defense. The breakthrough came when Garcia ripped a double down the left-field line, bringing in Boudreaux. A wild pitch allowed another run to cross, and
Jordan Arce (Thousand Oaks, California / Thousand Oaks) followed up with a clutch RBI single to make it a three-run first inning.
Trinity kept the momentum going in the second.
Angela Baltzell (Antioch, California / Freedom) singled up the middle and promptly stole second. With one out,
Samantha Tagawa (Agoura Hills, California / Agoura) doubled down the line, putting two runners in scoring position. Whitacre came through once again, beating out a bunt single to bring home another run and extend the lead to 4-0.
After Howard Payne managed to cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the third, Trinity responded with a dominant offensive display. Garcia led off the inning with a single, and Watson came in to pinch-run. Arce followed with a perfectly placed bunt single before Koelewyn crushed a double to left-center, bringing home two more runs. An error by Howard Payne's pitcher allowed another run to score, and Tagawa later drove in another with a single up the middle. By the end of the inning, Trinity had pushed its lead to 8-2.
After a couple of scoreless innings, Trinity sealed the victory in the sixth.
Abigail Miller (Winnetka, California / El Camino Real) got things going with a leadoff single, and after a passed ball moved her to second, Garcia drew a walk to put two on.
Cameron Bishop (Austin, Texas / Austin) followed with a base hit to keep the rally alive. Brooks then came up big with a single to right field, bringing in two more insurance runs to make it a commanding 10-2 win and run-rule.
With solid pitching from Koelewyn and Bishop, Trinity shut the door on Howard Payne to secure the 10-2 victory. Koelewyn earned the win, allowing just two runs over five innings, while Bishop finished it off with a scoreless sixth. Trinity's offense exploded for 14 hits in the win, showcasing a balanced attack that kept Howard Payne on its heels throughout the game.
Game Two - Tigers 7, Yellow Jackets 4
The Tigers found themselves in an early hole as Howard Payne jumped out with three runs in the first inning. However, the Tigers wasted no time responding. Tagawa led off with a bunt single and quickly stole second. Whitacre followed with another bunt single, and after another stolen base, Trinity had two runners in scoring position.
Leah Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas / East Central) drew a walk to load the bases, and while a pair of infield flies threatened to stall the rally,
Peyton Bowser (Arvada, Colorado / West) delivered a clutch two-run single to center field, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
The Tigers took control in the second inning. Watson sparked the offense with a bunt single, and after a well-placed sacrifice bunt from Baltzell, Tagawa reached on an error, putting runners on the corners. Whitacre's third hit of the day loaded the bases, and Garcia came through with a two-run single to give Trinity the lead at 4-3.
Howard Payne remained scoreless in the third, and Trinity extended its lead in the bottom half. Del Toro reached with a bunt single and quickly stole second. An error on a grounder from Watson allowed Del Toro to come home, adding an insurance run for a 5-3 advantage.
Howard Payne scratched across another run in the fourth, but Trinity delivered the final blow in the fifth. Del Toro got things rolling again with a single to left-center and stole second before Watson followed with another base hit. Baltzell then drove in a run with a single, and after another fielder's choice, Gonzalez added an RBI single to push the score to 7-4. Nugent sat HPU down in order in the top of the seventh to secure the 7-4 win.
Up Next
The Tigers will take on Carnegie Mellon on Wednesday at 5 PM and 7 PM.
