ABILENE, Texas – HBU Softball tops Southland Conference foe Abilene Christian in game one of the double header 3-0, but falls in game two, 7-5, Friday night at Wells Field.
GAME ONE
Senior
Nicole Shedd went 2-for-3 for the Huskies (4-17, 1-7 SLC) with three-run home run. Senior
Kassie James singled, walked and scored, while senior
Libby Brown also singled and scored.
Freshman
Jessica Patak (2-10, 1-4 SLC) pitched her first career shutout and earned her first Southland Conference win only two hits, five walks and one strikeout.
Alyson Bishoff walked and recorded the only two hits for ACU (10-15, 4-4). Hannah Null (8-8) got the loss, allowing three runs off five hits, nine strikeouts, three errors and two walks.
The Huskies' offense came alive in the sixth and did most of their damage with two outs. James started the rally with a walk, followed by a single to the left side by Brown. With runners on first and second, Shedd sent the ball over center, 3-0.
GAME TWO
Sophomore Hiedi Jaquez went 3-for-4 with a double, home run, one RBI and scored twice, while James and Shedd both went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Shedd also tacked on two RBIs. Brown walked twice and scored once.
Freshman Elliot Estes (1-2) recorded the loss, allowing five runs off five hits, five errors and two strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Senior
Stephanie Buenrostro came in relief to allow two runs off five hits, two errors and one walk in 3.1 innings.
Abilene Christian was led by Peyton Hedrick, who hit two home runs and walked to push across five for ACU. Brianna Barnhill singled, doubled and scored once, while Caroline Adair went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Calie Burris earned the win holding the Huskies to just two runs off three hits, three walks, one error and one strikeout in three innings. Null got the save as she only allowed one hit with four strikeouts.
Jaquez doubled down the left field line to start of the first, when she advanced on a pass ball during Brown's at bat that resulted in a walk. Brown stole second and with the throw down from the catcher, Jaquez reached home, 1-0.
Abilene answered back in the first with a lead-off single and Hedrick's home run to left center and again in the third with a three run homerun, 5-1.
James led off with a double to right center in the fourth that followed with a Shedd double to right center as well that send James to home, 5-2.
The Wildcats topped their lead off with two runs in the bottom of the fourth with two runs.
The Huskies went down fighting in the fifth, after Jaquez started a rally with a lead-off homerun. Brown and Janak followed with back-to-back walks. James scored Brown with a single to shortstop. A passed ball sent both the runners into scoring position for Shedd to score Janak off of a single to left center. Relief pitcher Hannah Null ended the Huskies rally by retiring the next three leaving the Huskies to the 7-5 fall.
Game two of the series begins Saturday at 12 p.m.
