FORT WORTH - Texas Wesleyan Softball (1-1) had a thrilling day of action Friday at chilly Gateway Park, headlined by
Kaylee Davenport's walk-off triple in the first game of the day - a 2-1 comeback win over McPherson (0-3).
The Lady Rams dropped the nightcap, a delayed 4-0 loss to William Woods University out of Missouri. The game started nearly two hours behind schedule due to field availability.
Game 1 featured a superb pitching duel between McPherson's Christie Betker and Texas Wesleyan's
Makenna Aycock. Betker struck out 11 while Aycock earned five Ks. Aycock and the Rams' defense did not allow any hits better than a single all day, clamping down on the Bulldogs' chances. TXWES didn't have much to say offensively either, until of course, the seventh frame.
Action started on
Taylor Sutton's triple, finally getting one over on Betker who last season earned 19 wins and a 2.55 ERA.
Ashton Davis then laid down a bunt that left McPherson third baseman Kylecia Taylor befuddled as she held on to the ball indecisively allowing Davis to reach first. Davenport's triple guided both runners home as it rolled to the back right-field fence.
Davenport had come in as a pinch-hitter, striking gold on her only opportunity of the game.
Kimani Ferguson and
Hailey Hollingsworth ran the bases on those two runs.
Each team finished with five hits, with nine different batters reaching with contact.
Makenna Aycock,
Jenna Rhoades, Sutton, Davenport and
Chyann Jarrett had the Lady Rams' successful swings. Aycock and Jarrett each had a stolen base added to their stat lines.
Game 2 was just as challenging at the plate, but one inning made all the difference in an otherwise even game.
William Woods scored all four of their runs in the second on a pair of singles, a passed ball and a walk. Aycock and Osborn added two more stolen bases to the season total and
Lacy Mann squared up to smack a double in the seventh but home plate stayed empty.
The Owls should feel fortunate. It's only the ninth time Texas Wesleyan has been shutout in their last 111 contests.
Lacy Mann pitched the second game for the Lady Rams. In six innings, she struck out five. Despite no runs allowed, William Woods' pitcher Brittany Roady earned just one K.
WHAT'S NEXT
TXWES is slated to face Bethel College at 10 a.m. and Huston Tillotson at 2 p.m. on Field 1 and Texas A&M-Texarkana at 4 p.m. on Field 5, but with weather and field availability always possible factors for adjusting, schedules are subject to change. All games will be played at the six Gateway Park fields.
