Box Score - vs. Langston
Box Score - vs. Our Lady of the Lake
Box Score - vs. University of the Southwest

FARMERS BRANCH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University softball team (23-28) went 2-1 on the first day of the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday. The Rams breezed to a 14-1 win over Langston University (10-20). They then fell 6-5 to second seeded Our Lady of the Lake University (26-18) and took a 6-4 win over fourth seeded University of the Southwest (15-27).

 

Against Langston, the Lions struck first with an RBI double from Jasmine Wilson in the top of the first, but Texas Wesleyan responded with 14 unanswered runs to seal the victory.

 

In the bottom of the inning, Raven Moreno was hit by a pitch and scored from first on a double from Ashleigh Jiminez. A Langston error allowed Jiminez to score and kept the inning alive for Lindsay Cline who walked to load the bases. An RBI single from Tara Martinez made it 3-1. With two outs, the Lady Rams added three more runs with a two-run single from Kali Jester and an RBI single from Marissa Rangel.

 

A two-out RBI single from Courtney Orebaugh in the second, prompted a pitching change for the Lions. Amber Reese came on for Langston and got out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout.

 

Infield singles from Rangel and Moreno started a three-run rally in the third that pushed the score to 10-1. Doubles from Rangel, Jiminez, and Hopie Perez brought four more runs around in the fourth inning.

 

Taylor Hodge (8-10) retired 13 of the final 14 hitters she faced including 12 in a row. She allowed just one run on three hits while striking out three in five innings pitched.

 

Rangel and Jiminez both went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI in the win. Texas Wesleyan outhit Langston 14-3.

 

The Lady Rams caught a break in the top of the first against OLLU. Rangel and Moreno set the table with a base-hit and a bunt single respectively. With one out and the bases loaded, second baseman Kimberlee Briseno passed on an easy double play to throw home. Her throw was late and Moreno crossed the plate with the game’s first run. Two batters later, Martinez ripped an RBI single and Orebaugh followed with a bases-loaded walk to give the Lady Rams a 3-0 lead.

 

Hannah Godina drew a leadoff walk and later scored for the Saints on a wild pitch in the second inning. In the third OLLU loaded the bases without benefit of a base hit. Ashley Hudson got a line drive double play, and the Rams got out of the inning with no damage done when Haley Butler fielded a carom off the back stop on a wild pitch and dove to tag Briseno at the plate for the final out.

 

Kaitlyn Bourg led off the fourth with OLLU’s first hit of the day, a solo homer. With two outs in the inning, Shelby Worrell and Briseno delivered RBI singles to give the Saints a 4-3 edge. With the bases full, Meagan Potts worked a 14-pitch at bat. After fouling off nine straight pitches Ashley Tarrant got Potts to pop up on the infield. The ball popped out of Christina Kelley's glove, but catcher Haley Butler was there to snag it for the final out.

 

The TWU offense came right back in the fifth, starting the inning with a single from Butler and a bunt single from Kelley. Cline moved the runners over with a sac bunt and Martinez tied the game with a squeeze bunt.

 

In the fifth inning, an RBI double from Alissa Huerta and a TWU error put the Saints back on top 6-4.

 

The Lady Rams got one back in the seventh, but stranded the tying run at second base.

 

Kailyn Miller (7-6) picked up the win after allowing five runs, four earned, on nine hits in seven innings of work. Ashley Tarrant took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned on four hits in 2.1 innnings of relief work.

 

Moreno and Kelley each went 3-for-4 in the loss.

 

The Lady Rams started hot again against USW. Kelley staked TWU to a 3-0 lead when she drove a home run over the centerfield fence into a 23 mile per hour wind blowing straight in. The Mustangs got one run back in the bottom of the first with an RBI single from Ciara Fraher.

 

Another two-out RBI single from Fraher cut the margin to 3-2 in the third inning.

 

USW’s Liz Garcia cracked a two-run homer into the wind in center that gave the Mustangs their first lead at 4-3 in the fourth inning. Perez responded with a pinch hit two-run bomb in the top of the fifth.

 

An RBI single from Cline in the sixth pushed the score to 6-4.

 

Tarrant (11-12) worked all seven innings, allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits while striking out six in the win.

 

Kelley went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI in the win. Rangel added a pair of hits as well.

 

The Lady Rams will compete in Saturday’s semifinals when they take on fifth seeded Huston-Tillotson University at 10:00 a.m. HTU advanced after falling to Southwest and defeating Langston.