COMMERCE, Texas – The No. 3 ranked Augustana softball team opened the 2021 season Friday with a 12-4 win over St. Mary's (TX) and a 2-1, eight-inning, loss to No. 7 Texas A&M – Commerce.
Amber Elliott picked up the win in the circle for Augustana while
Torri Chute,
Abby Lien and
Kendall Cornick all connected on home runs.
Game 1: No. 7 Texas A&M – Commerce 2, No. 3 Augustana 1 (8 innings)
In the battle of top-10 teams, the Lions snuck out a 2-1 victory in eight innings. After three scoreless innings,
Torri Chute led off the fourth inning with a home run into left field for the 1-0 advantage.
However, the very next-half inning, the Lions answered back with a home run of their own as Uxua Modrego sent a homer to nearly the same spot as Chute's.
The 1-1 score would hold in the pitchers' duel until the eighth inning. After the Vikings went down in order, the Lions got a leadoff double from Madison Schaefer who was moved to third on a groundout. Kinsie Hebler then had the game-winning hit, a single up the middle.
Ashley Mickschl pitched 7.1 innings, giving up seven hits and two runs while striking out five. Alyssa LeBlanc, who moves to 4-0 on the season, pitched eight innings for TAMUC, giving up two hits and striking out 12.
Amanda Dickmeyer and Chute picked up the two hits for the Vikings who were seeing their first live pitching of the season in the season opener.
Game 2: No. 3 Augustana 12, St. Mary's (TX) 4
Augustana used an offensive outburst of five runs in the second inning to carry itself to the 12-4 victory over St. Mary's.
Abby Lien got the scoring started with a moonshot to center field. The hit was her first in an Augustana uniform and sent it towering beyond the center field fence by 15 feet.
The scoring continued on a bases-loaded walk from
Abbie Lund scoring
Olivia Hazelbaker followed by a sacrifice fly to right field by
Mary Pardo which scored
Delaney Young. After
Kendall Cornick drew a walk,
Ashley Mickschl was hit by a pitch forcing home
Amanda Dickmeyer. The final run of the inning came off the bat of Chute, a sac fly into left field scoring Lund.
After giving a run back to the Rattlers in the third, Cornick sent a home run down the left-field line giving AU the 6-1 advantage.
The Vikings then added two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth to run-rule St. Mary's with the 12-4 score. The four-run sixth inning was started with a Lien double into left-center scoring Cornick and concluded with Lund reaching base on a fielder's choice while
Bergen Lindner crossed home plate.
Elliott pitched all six innings, striking out four while giving up seven hits and four runs.
Cornick batted 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead the batters while Pardo was 2-for-3 with three RBI. Lien was also 2-for-3 and totaled two RBI.
Up Next
All three squads face each other again on Saturday. There has been a slight time change with the first pitch between Augustana and St. Mary's now scheduled for 10 a.m. With thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday, the second game between the Vikings and Lions, scheduled for 4 p.m. may be adjusted.
--GoAugie.com--
