ABILENE - Abilene Christian's 24th-ranked softball team heads east to Stephenville this Friday and Saturday for a three-game series against first-place Tarleton State.
Friday's doubleheader begins at 5 p.m. Saturday's first pitch will take place at noon.
The TexAnns enter the weekend with an overall record of 21-8 and 6-0 mark vs. the Lone Star Conference, tying them with Angelo State for the best start. The Wildcats, at 17-4 overall and 3-2 vs. the league, are situated in fourth place, 2.5 games out of first place.
Both Tarleton State and ACU battled non-conference opponent St. Mary's in a pair of closely contested doubleheaders played earlier in the week. The TexAnns split their Tuesday twin bill with the Ratters, winning 7-5 in nine innings in game one before losing the nightcap, 7-6.
The Wildcats swept the Rattlers Wednesday as they twice came from behind to win in walk-off fashion by scores of 7-6 and 2-1.
In the first game, ACU fell behind 7-2 after four innings before answering back with four runs in the fourth thanks to three St. Mary's errors and RBI hits from
Sarah Martinez and
Keanna Winkfield.
Kimberly Briggs tied the score at 6-6 in the sixth with a solo home run to centerfield.
The Wildcats went on to load the bases in the seventh, and scored the game-winning run after
Sara Vaughn reached safely on an error by St. Mary's third baseman.
Vaughn also provided the game-winning hit in game two, driving a bases-loaded single to the gap in right-centerfield that plated
Courtney Flanary from third base.
Sophomore
Peyton Mosley (5-3) picked up the win in relief after escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh. Mosley retired the first two batters she faced on ground balls, and then got Nicole Sardelich to end the threat on a fly ball to left.
Shelby Hall (4-0) earned the victory in game one after dealing 4.1 innings of relief, in which she allowed just one unearned run. She then started game two and surrendered just one run through 6.0 frames, which lowered her season ERA to a team best 1.72.
The TexAnns counter ACU's rotation of Mosley, Hall, and
Caitlyn Crain (8-1) with Samantha Swanda who has been named the LSC pitcher of the week for the past two weeks and leads the team with 11 wins, a 2.05 ERA and a conference best 99 strikeouts.
Nine-game starter Randi Fentress has 88 Ks this year along with 10 wins and a 2.64 ERA.
Tarleton State claims four .300-plus hitters on offense, including the conference leader in total bases (79) Arianna Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Katie Welborn are each hitting .398 this season and have combined for 14 home runs and 48 RBIs.
ACU is hitting .293 as a team led by Briggs who leads the club with a .383 batting average and 20 RBI. Briggs also shares the team lead in home runs (3) along with Vaughn,
Lyndi Smith, and
Megan Brigance.
Winkfield is second on the Wildcats with a .361 batting average and is ranked among the conference leaders with 12 stolen bases.
Information from TarletonSports.com was used in this release.
