WAXAHACHIE, Texas — Texas Wesleyan University (27-22) split a doubleheader against Nelson (Texas) on Saturday, narrowly falling in the first game 2–1 before bouncing back to secure a 3–2 victory in the second matchup. The win in the second game clinches a third place finish for the Rams in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
In the first game, Texas Wesleyan managed six hits and two doubles but was unable to overcome a two-run fifth inning by Nelson. The game remained scoreless through the first four innings, with both teams struggling to convert opportunities into runs.
In the fifth inning, Nelson broke the deadlock. Reagan Desmuke, pinch running for Kinsley Rodriguez, scored on a groundout by Marcella Bryan, and Morgan Womack crossed the plate on an RBI single by Layla Oliver, giving Nelson a 2–0 lead at the end of the fifth inning. Texas Wesleyan responded in the sixth inning when
EB Zimmerman drew a walk and advanced to second on a groundout.
Kadynce Crenshaw then doubled, driving in Zimmerman to put Texas Wesleyan on the board. The inning ended with the score at 2–1 in favor of Nelson. Texas Wesleyan was unable to score in the final inning, concluding the game with a final score of 2–1.
Kylie Barnes delivered a complete game performance for Texas Wesleyan, pitching 6 innings while allowing only 4 hits and 2 earned runs. She struck out 4 batters and issued 2 walks during her outing, throwing a total of 76 pitches, with 53 of them being strikes.
Kadynce Crenshaw contributed two hits, including a double, and drove in one run, while
Haylie Delarosa added two hits to her performance.
EB Zimmerman walked twice and scored one run for the team.
In the second game, Texas Wesleyan secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Nelson, with early scoring from Texas Wesleyan in the first two innings. Despite being out-hit 11-10, Texas Wesleyan maintained its lead with strategic base running, including a stolen base and a triple that contributed to its three runs.
Texas Wesleyan set the tone in the first inning when
Haylie Delarosa hit a triple, followed by
Rachet Houston's RBI single that brought Delarosa home. Houston later scored on
Kylie Barnes' RBI single, giving Texas Wesleyan an early 2-0 lead. In the second inning,
Mattee Fry scored after a single from Delarosa, extending Texas Wesleyan's lead to 3-0. Nelson responded in the third inning when Avery Coleman scored on Parker Kittrell's RBI single, narrowing Texas Wesleyan's lead to 3-1. The sixth inning saw Nelson adding another run through a single by Layla Oliver that scored Morgan Womack, bringing the score to 3-2. Texas Wesleyan maintained its lead through the seventh inning, sealing the win with a final score of 3-2.
Reagan Avants pitched a complete game for Texas Wesleyan, allowing two earned runs on 11 hits over seven innings. She threw a total of 113 pitches, with 72 of those being strikes, while issuing two walks and hitting one batter. Despite not recording any strikeouts, Avants secured the win, improving to a 1-0 record on the season.
Haylie Delarosa led the offense with three hits, including a triple, and drove in one run.
Rachet Houston contributed with a hit, an RBI, and a stolen base, while
Kylie Barnes added two hits and one RBI, bolstering the team's scoring.
The Rams will wait to determine where they will be traveling next weekend as they will be the three seed in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament taking place next weekend.
