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27 - Jackie Jessup (UND)
Juan DeLeon

SB: HCU hosts Penn to commence six-game homestand

Huskies look to continue winning ways in final pair before SLC play begins


   
HCU vs. PENN Houston Christian University opens up a six-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts the University of Pennsylvania for a doubleheader. First pitch of the twin-bill is slated for 3 pm at Husky Field.
 
The Huskies have won five in a row and seven of their last eight to improve to 11-6 overall on the season. HCU is in the midst of a stretch of 11 games at home, with only last weekend's series at Stephen F. Austin taking the ladies away from Houston. HCU was 4-1 on the previous homestand before heading to Nacogdoches where the Huskies took three straight from their former Southland foe, all by shutout.
 
Friday's twin-bill saw two brilliant displays in the circle from Lyndie Swanson and Ronni Grofman. The pair each picked up their third victory of the year with the aid of some late inning magic with the bats in both games.
 
In the opener, Swanson went eight strong innings and Grofman's two-run single in the top of the eighth plated the only runs she needed. A senior hurler from Katy, Swanson allowed just two hits and struck out a career-best 10 in her 50th career start. She also surpassed 400 innings pitched for her career, becoming just the ninth pitcher in HCU history to accomplish that feat.
 
The nightcap saw Grofman turn from hitting to pitching, as she carved up SFA on a four-hitter, and was made the winner when Kaicey Hagler crushed a mammoth drive to left that edged the Huskies in front.
 
HCU would cap off the weekend with a third straight shutout, as Addy Prasifka earned her first career win with 3.2 innings of stellar relief work. She allowed just three hits and fanned four and made a 1-0 lead stand up until Maggie Childs cranked her second homer of the year in the seventh for some insurance.
 
All three games in Nac were won by shutout, as the pitching staff allowed just 11 hits on the weekend and struck out 24 Lumberjacks over the trio of contests. It is the first stretch of three shutouts in a row for the Huskies since 2021, when HCU defeated UH-Victoria by identical 5-0 scores before nipping Southern Miss 2-0. It is also the first three-game series sweep of a single opponent with all shutouts in school history.
 
Jasie Roberts continues to pace the Huskies in hitting at .348 on the season. She has driven in seven runs and is tied  with Haylie Savage and Hagler with a team-high two homers. The senior catcher from Deer Park is now just four hits, six RBI and nine at-bats from joining the Top 10 all-time in each of those categories.
 
Savage is batting .292 and is tied with Childs for the team lead in RBI with nine, while Maddy Bailey has eight.
 
Three hurlers check in with three wins apiece; the aforementioned Swanson and Grofman along with senior Katy Janes. Prasifka leads the staff with a 1.14 ERA in eight outings out of the pen, while Swanson and Janes each have 31 K's to lead the club.
 
The Huskies and Quakers are meeting for the first time ever. Penn is currently 2-6 on the season after dropping two of three at Lamar over the weekend. The Ivy Leaguers boast five Texans on the roster, including three from the Greater Houston area.
 
Katy Reagan leads the Quakers in batting at .571, going 12-21 through eight games thus far with three doubles and six RBI. Ella Utschig leads the effort from the circle, going 2-1 with a 6.20 ERA in five appaearances.

The Huskies will continue the homestand on Friday and Saturday with their first Southland Conference series of the year, as they host the Lamar Cardinals at Husky FIeld. LU took two of three from HCU in Beaumont last year, winning a pair of one-run contests sandwiched around a 6-2 HCU victory.
 
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