Softball Drops Both to #15 Bulldogs

SEGUIN, Texas — The St. Mary's University Softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader at Division III Preseason No. 15 Texas Lutheran, 3-2 on Tuesday evening.
 
The Rattlers are now 3-4 on the season, while the Bulldogs are 2-0 after playing their first games of the year.
 
St. Mary's heads to Colorado for the South Central Regional Crossover. The Rattlers will play a doubleheader at MSU Denver on Friday, beginning at 1 p.m. CT before playing two at Colorado Christian on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. The weekend wraps up back at MSU Denver on Sunday for one game at 12 p.m. CT.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Head Coach Donna Fields switched around the lineup from the D2 First Pitch Invitational, moving sophomore Raegan Tennill (Corpus Christi, Texas) to the leadoff spot for the first time in her career, and she responded by going 2-for-3 with a walk. Junior Jadyn Abrego (San Antonio) also had a two-hit game, and she worked four innings in the circle in a no decision. She walked three and struck out one.
 
Senior Sara Robertson (Lorena, Texas) took the loss, pitching 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with one walk. Robertson started the game in left field for the first time in her collegiate career and entered the circle in the fifth frame.
 
After both teams were retired in order in the first inning, the Bulldogs scored one run in the second and one in the third.
 
Trailing 2-0, the Rattlers broke onto the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, senior Reba Reyes (Brownsville, Texas) was hit by a pitch. She moved to second on a fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore Arianna (AJ) Sanchez and scored on a single up the middle by Emily Ayala (San Antonio), who was pinch-hitting for the 2-1 score.
 
Tennill walked on four pitches to lead off the fifth and moved to second on a stellar bunt single by senior Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig, Texas). With one out, the pair pulled off a successful double steal and Tennill scored on a single through the left side by Abrego to knot the score at 2-2.  
 
With Bulldog runners at first and second base in the bottom of the fifth inning, Head Coach Donna Fields pulled in Robertson from left field, who got three quick groundout fielder's choices to end the threat.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs drew a walk to start things. A pinch runner advanced on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to shallow centerfield for the 3-2 victory.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Sophomore Breanna Ford (Corpus Christi) lost the first game of her St. Mary's career, moving to 3-1 on the season after pitching the complete game. Ford allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
 
Reyes was 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk and a stolen base, while Abrego was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
 
The Bulldogs plated three runs on four hits in the third frame where only one hit left the infield. There was a questionable call where a runner did not remain in the base paths after singling back to Ford but was not called out, moved to second on the play, and later scored for the 3-0 lead.
 
Reyes led off the fourth with a single to left center, stole second, and scored on a bloop single by junior Mene'e Padilla (San Antonio) to right field for the 3-1 score. The Rattlers added a second run in the fifth as with one out, Dugi singled to left field and she scored on a double to left center by Abrego to pull the Rattlers within one, 3-2, but the Rattlers were unable to plate any other runs.
 
The Bulldogs were threatening in the fifth, but Padilla threw out her fifth would-be base stealer of the year to get Ford out of a mini jam.