Going into the final stretch of games that will decide playoff seeding, many softball teams want to maintain consistency, which is important in making a run for a championship.
The Jags were looking to steal a pair of wins from the Our Lady of the Lake University Owls, who occupy first place in the Red River Conference west division with a five-game lead.
In the teams’ last meeting, the Jags were able to split the series with an extra-innings win against the Owls, which was one of their four losses in conference play.
Doubleheader vs. Our Lady of the Lake University Owls April 9
Game 1:
The Jags came out flat as they were scoreless with two hits through five innings.
Stellar play offensively and defensively from the Owls gave them the advantage early on.
After getting two home runs in the first, the Owls scored in the following four innings to extend their lead to nine.
The Jags couldn’t recover from the early lead.
Final score: 9-0
Game 2:
Going into the second game, the Jags started off the game faster by scoring in the top of the first.
Junior right fielder Peyton Vasquez singled to the shortstop, then stole second.
Next, junior second baseman Caty Rangel singled to the pitcher, which advanced Vasquez to third.
Rangel then stole second and Vasquez was able to score on the throwing error by the Owls’ catcher.
In the bottom of the inning, the Owls responded with three runs of their own, which included a home run.
After a scoreless second inning for both teams, the Owls scored two more runs in the bottom of the third to extend their lead.
Now the score is 5-1.
In the fourth, junior shortstop Gabby Mitchell reached on a fielder’s choice.
Then freshman first baseman Karina Guzman doubled to right-center, which brought in Mitchell for their second run of the game.
The Owls added two more runs in the bottom of the inning to keep a comfortable lead going into the fifth.
Following a scoreless fifth inning, the Jags started to chip away at the Owls’ lead at the top of the sixth.
Freshman catcher Julia Pinzon drew a walk then sophomore outfielder Riana Tovar went in to pinch run for Pinzon.
In the next at-bat, junior centerfielder Vanessa Garces drew a walk, which advanced Tovar to second.
Then Guzman homered down the left-field line to bring in Tovar and Garces, now the Owls lead by two runs.
The Jags’ defense was able to keep the Owls scoreless in the bottom of the sixth.
With momentum on their side, the Jags continued to add pressure.
In the seventh, freshmen third baseman Andrea Ortiz and Vasquez drew back-to-back walks to start the inning.
Rangel then hit a sacrifice bunt to reach first but on a throwing error by the pitcher, Ortiz was able to score while Vasquez advanced to third.
Rangel then stole second so now runners were on second and third when Pinzon hit a sacrifice fly that brought in Vasquez to score.
Next, Garces singled to right field and Rangel scored.
The Jags had now taken the lead, making the score 8-7.
In the bottom of the inning, the Owls were able to score on a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
Now the game went into extra innings.
The Jags weren’t able to maintain the momentum from the previous innings as they were shut out in the top of the eighth.
The Owls were able to score on a throwing error in the bottom of the eighth to secure the sweep in the doubleheader.
Final score: 9-8
Standout Players of the Game:
Guzman was the standout player of the series. Her offensive contributions helped the Jags march a comeback late in the game.
- Guzman: .333 batting average, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 1 R
Although the Jags were not able to secure a win over the weekend, they were able to battle back after being down six runs in the second game.
Currently, the Jags are sitting in third place in the west division of the Red River Athletic Conference.
These next few weeks will be important for the Jags because they are playing all conference games, which determines the teams in the postseason that start on May 5.
For more information and news about A&M-San Antonio’s softball team, visit their social media account on Twitter, @TamusaSoftball, and Instagram, @Tamusa_softball. Team coverage can be found at @tamusasports on all other social media platforms.
