LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Seven of the league's eight teams hit the field as the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) softball season got underway this past week.
Centenary (2-0) kicked off its 2021 campaign with a pair of wins over University of Texas-Dallas on Saturday, earning a doubleheader sweep with 2-0 and 2-1 victories, giving the Ladies their first 2-0 start to a season since 2015. Freshman Hailee Leger tossed a complete-game shutout in game one, striking out seven without walking a batter while scattering seven hits. The Ladies made the most of their three hits, scoring runs in the third and fifth innings. Junior Jaymee Wilkinson had a double and a run scored and Kirstyn Gomez and Jessi Daigle both had RBIs. In game two, junior Ashley Hunter picked up the win in the circle, allowing a run on five hits in four innings of work. Sophomore Britlyn Garrett's solo home run in the top of the fourth proved to be the gamewinner for the Ladies.
Trinity (2-0) continued the league's dominance over UT-Dallas, posting a doubleheader sweep of the Comets the following day by scores of 3-2 and 9-4. Senior shortstop/centerfielder Emily Vaclavik led the Trinity bats with a 4-for-8 effort that included a double, a RBI and a pair of stolen bases. First-year outfielder Diamond Elizondo made the most of her intercollegiate debut, plating the gamewinning run with one out in the fifth inning of game one on a single into right centerfield. After allowing two runs in the opening inning, senior pitcher Allie Holbrook settled in to shut out the Comets for the proceeding six frames to collect a line of two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts across seven innings in game one. Junior Cat Patterson allowed four runs on seven hits through six innings, striking out four while walking no one to earn the victory in the circle and complete Sunday's sweep.
Four other conference teams split doubleheaders on opening weekend.
Schreiner (1-1) opened its 2021 season with a split against Howard Payne, winning the second game of the double header 3-2 after dropping the first 10-1 in 5 innings. Junior Bri Wodtke earned the complete game win in the circle in Game Two, while freshman Sydney Drott, in her first career plate appearance blasted a solo home to pace the Mountaineers.
Southwestern (1-1) bounced back after a 9-1 loss in Game One to earn a series split with Mary Hardin-Baylor, taking Game Two by the score of 8-7 in nine innings. Junior catcher Izzy Richey went 4-for-8 in the series with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored and junior second baseman Maddie Mefford was 3-for-6 with two doubles, one RBI and three runs scored. Richey's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth that plated Mefford was the winning blow for the Pirates in game two. Sophomore Paige Rasmussen tossed four innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win.
St. Thomas (1-1) opened its inaugural season Saturday at LeTourneau, and the Celts split the series by dropping game one, 3-1 and pulling out an extra-inning thriller, 12-11. Freshman Emma Garrett led the way for St. Thomas, posting five hits in nine at bats in the series with two doubles, two RBIs, a stolen base and two runs scored. Sophomore Taylor Le recorded the first hit in UST softball history and sophomore Kayleigh Deakle scored the program's first-ever run. In the top of the 11th in game two, and with the score tied at 11, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly by Le scored freshman Emily Friesenhahn to give the Celts the advantage and senior Lindsey Longuet sat the Yellow Jackets down in order in the bottom half to secure the program's first-ever victory.
Defending national champion Texas Lutheran (1-1) opened the 2021 season with a Thursday night doubleheader split against NCAA Division II program St. Mary's (Texas). The Bulldogs took the first game 4-2 with the Rattlers grabbing the second game 4-3. In the Bulldog victory, second-year freshman Sydney Ouellette (1-0) went the distance in the circle, as the right-hander allowed two earned runs, scattered six hits, and struck out five. After stealing a base in the opener, all-American outfielder Kelly Jurden stole two more in the late game to break the SCAC career record for steals. Jurden now has 116, eclipsing Trinity's Karen MacPherson's total of 115. MacPherson had 115 steals in 160 games from 2009-12, while Jurden has 116 steals in 111 career games. Sophomore outfielder Chassety Raines and senior designated player Rebecca Snow both had three hits in the series.
Austin College (0-2) dropped a doubleheader at Concordia (Texas) by the scores of 21-0 and 9-1. Senior Sarah Ramirez had the lone hit for the 'Roos in game one while Lyndsey Busch and Elizabeth Preston each went 1-for-2 at the plate in game two, including Preston's triple to score Busch in the top of the first, to collect Austin College's two hits in the game.
Play continues this weekend with seven of the league's eight teams in action, including University of Dallas kicking off its season with a home doubleheader against Hendrix College on Sunday.
For links to box scores and recaps from all of last week's season-opening action, click below:
This Week's Results:
| Date | Away | Home | Status | Links | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||||
| Thu. 4 |
|
4 |
|
2 | Final | |
|
|
3 |
|
4 | Final | ||
| Sat. 6 |
|
10 |
|
1 | Final - 5 innings | |
|
9 |
|
1 | Final - 5 innings | ||
|
|
2 |
|
3 | Final | ||
|
2 |
|
0 | Final | ||
|
1 |
|
3 | Final | ||
|
0 |
|
21 | Final - 5 innings | ||
|
|
7 |
|
8 | Final - 9 innings | ||
|
|
2 |
|
1 | Final | ||
|
|
12 |
|
11 | Final - 8 innings | ||
|
|
1 |
|
9 | Final - 5 innings | ||
| Sun. 7 |
|
2 |
|
3 | Final | |
|
|
4 |
|
9 | Final | ||
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