HOUSTON —
Ronni Grofman went the distance for the second time this week, and
Avery Drake's fourth hit of the game drove in the winning run, as HCU snapped Southeastern's 12-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory on Saturday at Husky Field.
The Huskies, who were held in check during Friday's doubleheader, wasted no time putting runs on the board, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Drake singled through the right side to begin the frame, and one out later,
Autumn Sydlik poked a double to the gap in right center to push her to the dish with a 1-0 lead.
Sydlik moved up to third on an errant throw to the plate on the play, and she would then come across with the second run on a
Kaicey Hagler sacrifice fly to left.
In the fourth frame, the home team tacked on a single tally.
Tabitha Burnett reached on an infield single and went to second on an errant throw. One out later,
Riley Martin walked to put two on. Drake then singled through the left side to load the bases, and
Haylie Savage would plate Burnett with a sacrifice fly to foul territory in left for a 3-0 advantage.
Grofman, who had allowed just two hits through the first four innings, was touched up for three runs over the next two innings, as SLU tied things up.
In the fifth, the Lions got RBI groundouts to drive in two unearned runs and cut the lead to 3-2. In the sixth, the game was leveled at three apiece on a two-out single up the middle by Audrey Greely that chased pinch-runner Colleen Kulivan to the plate.
The Huskies were undeterred by those events however, and put together their own rally in the bottom of the sixth. Again, it was Burnett setting the table, as she coaxed a leadoff walk and then moved to second on a wild pitch.
Pinch-hitter
Breana Herrera would calmly lay down a solid sacrifice bunt up the first base line to move Burnett to third. That brought up Drake, who laced an infield single to short to score Burnett and give HCU a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
With the top of the lineup coming up in the top of the seventh, Grofman buckled down. She got Cam Goodman on a come-backer to the circle for the first out. After Maria Detillier reached on an error, Madison Rayner popped up in foul territory to Savage, who made a nice running grab just before the fence. Grofman then induced cleanup hitter Lexi Johnson into a grounder to Savage at third that ended the ballgame.
It's the second time this week that Grofman and Drake combined in this fashion in leading the Huskies to a win in a series finale. Grofman went the distance on Wednesday against Texas A&M-Commerce, with Drake notching her first career four-hit game in the 8-6 win.
Drake scored one run and drove in the game-winner as part of her second four-hit game this week. Sydlik was 1-3 with the RBI double, and Burnett reached in all three of her plate appearances, collecting a hit and two walks while scoring two runs.
Scattering five hits and three runs over 106 pitches, Grofman improves to 5-2 on the season.
Greely went 2-2 with an RBI for the Lions, now 37-9 on the season. Cera Blanchard suffered the loss in relief, going 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts, falling to 14-5 overall.
The loss ends a school-record tying 12-game winning streak for SLU.
FINAL NOTES AND WHAT'S UP NEXT:
HCU remains in the thick of things in the conference race. The Huskies are now 8-7 in SLC play after a 4-2 week, and sit in a tie for third with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after this weekend's play.
McNeese still leads the league at 14-1 after rallying past Nicholls in the seventh on Saturday, while Saturday's loss drops SLU two games back of the Cowgirls at 12-3.
The Huskies will next travel to Beaumont, where they will square off with the Lamar Cardinals in a three-game series next weekend.
A Friday double-header will be followed by a Saturday matinee.
#DawgsUp
