FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University softball team (28-10, 14-2 SAC) powered to a pair of upset wins of No. 2 Science & Arts (34-3, 17-3 SAC) at Sycamore Park on Friday. The Lady Rams earned a 4-3 walk-off win in game one before taking a back and forth game two, 10-8.
 
"It's exciting, and the adrenaline will definitely be something we will continue to feed off of tomorrow.", commented Prachyl after the win. "This just proves to ourselves and everyone else what we are capable of this season. The coaches have believed in us competing at this level of play all season, so it was even better to pull out these wins for them."
 
Bailey Terry led the charge, going 4 for 8 with nine RBI and three home runs in the doubleheader.
 
In game one, Science and Arts found a one run edge in the second on a Shania Beck RBI single to deep right-center, but Terry and the Lady Rams came up big in the third.
 
Demi Dotson singled with one away in the third and promptly stole second to put herself in scoring position. Jenna Rhoades laced a two out base hit to center before taking second on the throw home to keep Dotson at third. Terry stepped up to the plate and powered a no-doubter over the center field fence to give the Rams a 3-1 lead.
 
Shania Beck got the Drovers within one in the fourth inning on a line drive double down the left field line.
 
The second ranked team tied the game with a run in the seventh. Keeley Kingsley led off the inning with a chop single to third. An everybody safe fielder's choice play put a runner in scoring position for a Chloe Clifton RBI double. The Drovers tried to take the lead on the play, but were cut down on a great relay throw to the plate.
 
The Drovers foiled the TXWES side in the bottom of the inning to force extra innings, but the Lady Rams held off the Science and Arts in the eighth.
 
The Drovers had to contend with the top of the TXWES lineup in the bottom of the eighth, and Rhoades put the winning run on third with a sacrifice bunt to start the frame. Terry did the same to get the run across and complete the upset win.
 
Makenna Aycock (10-3) managed eight strong innings in the win. She allowed three runs on six hits, walked four, and struck out three.
 
With the win, the Lady Rams gave USAO starter Emily Cerny her first loss of the season. Cerny won 19 straight before today.
 
In game two, the Drovers opened the first frame with four runs and took another in the second to build a 5-0 cushion.
 
Texas Wesleyan put up a crooked number second, starting with a Saeya Esparza sacrifice fly to left that was deep enough to score Lauren Wernet from third. The second run scored on a throwing error.
 
The Lady Rams struck again in the fourth, this time with an explosive five-run rally. Praychl beat out an infield single to score a pair before Rhoades took an RBI groundout. Bailey Terry put a bow on the rally by mashing a two-run homer to center to give the Rams a 7-5 advantage.  
 
Chloe Clifton got USAO within one on a solo shot to straight away center in the fifth, and the game stood at 7-6 Rams when a lightning delay forced a stoppage of play.
 
After a 40-minute delay, play resumed and USAO took two runs in the sixth on a Beck single into right-center flip the lead back to the Drovers at 8-7.
 
The lead change did not bother Texas Wesleyan, coming right back in the bottom of the inning. Prachyl and Rhoades posted base hits to bring up Terry. In what is becoming a common theme, the junior from Las Cruces, NM delivered a clutch home run that rocketed past the left field wall and the Rams regained a 10-8 lead.
 
That prompted another lightning delay, extending the game past the four-hour mark.
 
"Through all of the changes we had to adapt to, no one was ever negative about the situation," said Dotson. "We all wanted to play out the entire game and I think that helped us stay mentally prepared on the field and in the dugout. Lightning and storm delays are sometimes hard to overcome, but this team, freshman through seniors, couldn't have handled it any better."
 
After the second delay of the game, Aycock (2) took the mound in the seventh and turned in a spotless inning to nab the save and secure the two-game sweep. Sidney Stewart (7-2) got the win. She threw 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
 
The Lady Rams will host Mid-America Christian University tomorrow, April 7. The doubleheader is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. start at Sycamore Park.
 
Ramblings
 
- Makenna Aycock has earned a win in each of her last five starts.
 
- Terry hit her second multi-home run game of the season in game two.
 
- Terry moved into a tie for fourth in nation with 12 home runs, and is now third in the nation in RBI at 47.
 
- Science and Arts leads the all-time series, 6-21.