Skip To Main Content

Houston Christian University Athletics

OFFICIAL SITE OF HCU ATHLETICS
HCU ATHLETICS
ESPN Plus Logo
Mary-Ellen Hall 900 front
8
Winner Houston Christian HCU 22-25, 9-15 SLC
7
Tex. A&M-Commerce TAMUC 9-45, 2-22 SLC
Winner
Houston Christian HCU
22-25, 9-15 SLC
8
Final
7
Tex. A&M-Commerce TAMUC
9-45, 2-22 SLC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Houston Christian HCU 0 0 4 2 0 0 1 1 8 12 3
Tex. A&M-Commerce TAMUC 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 7 9 1

W: Swanson, Lyndie (9-7) L: Arredondo, Anissa (0-8)

Game Recap: Softball |

SB: Huskies rally in regular season finale to give Hall 900th career victory

HCU rebounds from 5-0 deficit, wins in 8th for second straight game



COMMERCE, Texas --- Houston Christian University rallied early and late to claim an 8-7 extra-innings victory in the regular season finale over Texas A&M-Commerce that gave Head Coach Mary-Ellen Hall her 900th career victory at the helm of her alma mater. The Huskies fell into a 5-0 hole in the second, battled back for a lead and fell behind again before pushing across the game-winner in the eighth inning to take the rubber match of the series.
 
The Lions put a five-spot up in the second inning, taking advantage of three HCU errors in the frame. The big blows came from Lencia Powell who tripled in the first two runs of the inning, and an RBI double by Tehya Pitts that brought in the final tally before HCU starter Katy Janes struck out the final two of the inning.
 
HCU would come right back in the top of the third, climbing quickly back into the game. Juls Garcia led off with a single, and Haylie Savage then popped a two-run homer off the light pole in right center to pull the Huskies within three.
 
Kaicey Hagler followed with a walk and Ronni Grofman singled through the left side to put two runners on. After a foul-out to second base by Jackie Jessup moved the runners up a base, Maddy Bailey lined a single up the middle to score both runners and bring the score to 5-4.
 
In the fourth, the Huskies would cross two more across the pay station to take the lead for the first time in the ball game. With one away, Juls Garcia, Savage and Jasie Roberts hit consecutive singles, the final scoring Garcia to tie things at five-apiece with Savage being tagged out trying to advance to third.
 
Roberts moved to third base when ball four to Hagler got away for a passed ball. Ronni Grofman then mashed the first pitch she saw to right field to bring home Roberts with the go-ahead run, as the Huskies pushed in front 6-5.  
 
Janes would work out of a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the fourth inning to keep the Huskies in front, but Commerce would regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth. An RBI groundout was followed by an run-scoring single by Powell that gave the Lions a 7-6 edge.
 
Down to their final at-bat, HCU would put runners on the corners with one out when Jackie Jessup doubled to right center and Bailey followed with a single up the middle. Breana Herrera then lined a ball off the pitcher that bounded right to first base, but it would bring Jessup across the plate to tie the game. Bailey attempted to score when the throw from first to third went awry, but after review, she was ruled out at home.
 
The two teams would head to extra innings for the second straight game in the series, and HCU wasted little time getting on the board. Riley Martin led off the stanza with a double to left center and moved to third on Juls Garcia's groundout to third. Savage then drove a ball off the pitcher for an infield single that scored Martin, and the Huskies led once again 8-7.
 
Lyndie Swanson would shut the door in the bottom of the frame, helping complete the comeback and finish off career win #900 for Hall.
 
The Huskies posted their second straight double-digit hit night, banging out a dozen to score their eight runs. Savage led the way, posting her third three-hit game of the season and ninth of her career. She finished 3-5 with a homer and three RBI. The dinger was the eighth of the season, establishing a new personal best for the junior from Angleton.
 
Maddy Bailey was 2-3 with two RBI, while Ronni Grofman had her second straight 2-4 day batting. Grofman, Roberts, and Herrera each had an RBI, while Juls Garcia went 2-4 with two runs scored to round out the offense.  
 
Katy Janes went the first four innings, allowing five runs on three hits while walking three and fanning five. Addy Prasifka went two and allowed two runs on five hits before Swanson took over in the seventh.
 
Swanson notched a win in relief for the second game in a row, tossing two innings shutout innings and allowing just a single hit with one strikeout. The win pushed her season mark to 9-7, the fourth consecutive season she has won nine games. She now stands ninth alone in all-time victories with 39, and she also moved into a tie with Jennifer Elias for the most appearances in the circle in school history at 114.
 
Lencia Powell went 3-3 with three RBI while Tehya Pitts went 2-5 with an RBI. Anissa Arredondo went seven innings and gave up 11 hits and eight runs before Julia Sanchez relieved her in the eighth.
 
Now in her 33rd season at HCU, Hall is the 21st winningest active coach in NCAA Division 1. She earned her first victory with a 6-0 shutout of UTSA in the 1992 season opener, her first season at the helm. She has guided the Huskies to 10 conference championships in her time on Beechnut Street.
 
HCU will be return to action next week at the Southland Conference Tournament hosted by Southeastern at North Oak Park in Hammond, Louisiana. The Huskies will face rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a elimination game on Tuesday afternoon at 1 pm.
 
The winner continues on to play the tournament's No. 3 seed later that evening at 6 pm.
 

#DawgsUp
 
 
Print Friendly Version