ABILENE –
Tiana Tuinei singled to drive in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday to help the ACU Wildcats sweep a doubleheader from St. Edward's in non-conference softball action at Wells Field.
The Wildcats won the first game, 9-4, before rallying to take a 7-6 win in the second game. The two wins push ACU to 26-23 on the season.
ACU – which is in third place in the Lone Star Conference South Division – will be in San Angelo on Thursday and Friday to take on first-place Angelo State in a three-game series at the ASU Softball Field. The series will begin with a single game Thursday at 7 p.m. with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Friday set to conclude the series.
In the bottom of the ninth of a 6-6 game,
Lyndi Smith was placed on second to start the inning as the game was played using the international tiebreaker rule. After
Melissa Mendoza moved Smith over to third with a sacrifice bunt, Tuinei drove in a run with an infield single to give the Wildcats the win.
ACU trailed 5-3 going to the bottom of the seventh, but the Wildcats rallied for two runs to send the game to extra innings.
Sarah Martinez drove in a run with a single, and then
Megan Brigance lifted a sacrifice fly into foul territory on the rightfield side that drove in Martinez to tie the score at 5-5.
St. Edward's scored in the top of the eighth and ACU answered with a sacrifice fly from
Erin Gilliland in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 6-6. Freshman Peyton Mosely – who picked up the win for the Wildcats – kept the Hilltoppers off the board in the top of the ninth to set up the Wildcats for the win.
In the first game, ACU led 2-0 after two innings before scoring five runs in the third inning to put the game away. Smith had a two-run single in the inning to make it a 4-0 game before Gilliland drove in three runs with a three-home run to left field to make it 7-0.
Brittany Rexroat went six innings and scattered seven hits and three walks to pick up the victory for the Wildcats.
