Box Score Marshall. Texas Regional Webpage
GAMES: Whitworth 5, UTD 3 l ETBU 6, Whitworth 3
MARSHALL, Texas – Slugging their way to an NCAA Regional opening win, the East Texas Baptist University softball team hit three homeruns to collect a 6-3 win over Whitworth University. #10 ETBU improves to 36-8 this season, and 1-0 in the Marshall NCAA Regional Bracket. Whitworth falls to 36-10, and is 1-1 in the Marshall NCAA Regional after defeating the University of Texas at Dallas 5-3 earlier in the day.
Jayme Perez started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a solo homerun to centerfield to give ETBU an early 1-0 lead over the Pirates. ETBU plated three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Linzie Lewis hit a one-out single to start a rally for ETBU, and with that hit set a new single season record for hits in one season at ETBU. Perez hit a double to left-centerfield to score Lewis from first. Lacey Lindsey would bring Perez and herself home with a two-run homerun into the Whitworth bullpen.
ETBU would add two more runs onto their 4-0 lead with another two-run homerun from Lindsey, plating Heaven McDonald, giving ETBU a 6-0 lead in the fifth inning. Whitworth would not go quietly as they answered with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Shannon Wessel hit a double to right-centerfield to score Myranda Ramirez from first base. Michelle Silva would then hit a two-run homerun herself to put Whitworth within three runs, 6-3. McKayla Hendrix would come in and throw 1.2 innings of hitless relief to save the game for ETBU.
Offensively, Perez and Shelby Irlbeck led ETBU with three hits each. Lindsey had two hits and four RBI to pace the ETBU offense, followed by Kaitlyn Hollingshead with two hits as well. Jordan Anderson picked up her 16th win of the season to move to 16-3 overall this season. Anderson threw 5.1 innings and allowed three runs on six hits, striking out six batters. Hendrix retired all five batters she faced in 1.2 innings.
Kinsey McNaught, Wessel, Silva, Tessa Matthews, Rheanne Lewis, and Desi Graham each had one hit for the Pirate offense. Silva led the way with two RBI and Wessel picked up one RBI. Madi Perez started second straight game of the day for Whitworth, this time picking up the loss to move to 24-5 overall. Perez pitched 2.1 innings and gave up four runs on six hits.
ETBU will play Texas Dallas in an elimination game for the Comets at 2:00 p.m. at Taylor Field. Regardless of the outcome for ETBU, ETBU will face Whitworth again at 5:00 p.m.
MARSHALL, Texas Regional Game One Recap:
Whitworth took game one of the Marshall Regional with a 5-3 victory over Texas Dallas. Texas Dallas got on the board in the top of the first inning with a solo homerun from Brittany Perkins. Kinsey McNaught singled home a run for Whitworth in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a single from Shannon Wessel to give Whitworth a 2-1 lead. Whitworth added two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on two fielder's choices and a Comet error to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead. Texas Dallas plated two runs in the top of the sixth inning on an error and RBI single from Stefanie Polderman to cut the lead to 4-3. Whitworth added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning to close out the scoring at 5-3.
