GEORGETOWN, TEXAS - The Southwestern University softball team split its SAA doubleheader on Saturday, May 2, in Jackson, Mississippi against Millsaps College. The Pirates dropped a narrow 5-4 decision in game one before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory in game two. With the split, Southwestern clinched a spot in the SAA Tournament and secured the No. 3 seed.Â
GAME 1 – Millsaps 5, Southwestern 4Â
Southwestern struck first in the second inning as Macey Gilman scored on a wild pitch to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead. Millsaps answered in the bottom half, tying the game with an RBI single before adding a sacrifice bunt to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Majors extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning, but Southwestern responded late. In the fifth, Izabella Hernandez lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Mattie Wilkie and cut the deficit to one. The Pirates surged ahead in the sixth inning as Sophia Ytuarte delivered an RBI single to plate Emery Bell, followed by an RBI groundout from Wilkie to give Southwestern a 4-3 lead.
Millsaps responded once again in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 4-4 before capitalizing on a Pirate error in the seventh inning to bring home the go-ahead run and secure the 5-4 win.
Game 1 Highlights
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Collier went 3-for-4 to lead the offense
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Bell recorded a double and a triple as part of a two-hit performance
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Ytuarte added two hits and an RBI
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Wilkie drove in a run and scored once
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Dunkelberger and Garza each added a hitÂ
Game 1 Notes
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Southwestern totaled 11 hits in the contest
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The Pirates scored in the second, fifth, and sixth innings
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Collier and Garza each recorded a stolen base
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The Pirates committed one error that proved costly late
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Ytuarte (10-8) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits over 6.1 inningsÂ
GAME 2 – Southwestern 3, Millsaps 1Â
Millsaps opened the scoring in the first inning with a sacrifice fly, but the Pirates remained composed in what turned into a pitcher's duel.
Southwestern broke through in the sixth inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues. Daniella Clark delivered a key single to right field to drive in a run, while two additional runs came across on an outfield error to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead.
The Pirate defense held firm the rest of the way behind a dominant performance in the circle to secure the win and the series split.
Game 2 Highlights
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Clark went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored
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Fields added a hit and scored a run
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Gilman, Collier, Alexander, and Dunkelberger each recorded a hit
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Kieselhorst scored a run and added a stolen baseÂ
Game 2 Notes
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Southwestern finished with seven hits
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The Pirates scored all three runs in the sixth inning
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Dunkelberger also added a stolen base
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Heyer (5-5) earned the complete-game win, allowing one run on five hits while facing just 26 batters on 69 pitchesÂ
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