GEORGETOWN, Texas -- Senior pitcher Maitlin Raycroft no-hit her opponent for the second consecutive game, and senior third baseman Kyla Lockley supplied all the run support needed as second-ranked Texas Lutheran cruised to its fifth straight conference title game with a 9-0 victory over Southwestern Saturday afternoon at the SCAC Softball Championship. Official Website l Bracket l Postgame Interview
Lockley crushed two home runs, including a fourth-inning grand slam, to compliment the gem tossed by Raycroft in circle.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Raycroft tossed her second consecutive five inning no-hitter, allowing just one walk while striking out seven.
- Kyla Lockley led off the game with a home run and Madisyn Cates led off the fourth with a home run. Lockley add a grand slam homer in the bottom of the fourth.
- Andrea Hern's lead-off walk in the top of the third was Southwestern's only baserunner of the game.
- TLU's Maitlin Raycroft improved to 18-0 with her 12th complete game of the season.
TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Kyla Lockley: 2-2, 2 HR, 2 runs, 5 RBI
- Madisyn Cates: 2-3, 1 HR, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Kelly Jurden: 2-3, 1 run
- Maitlin Raycroft: 5.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Lindsey Longuet: 3.1 IP, 5 hits, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 K, 2 BB
NOTABLES
- Raycroft has now tossed five no-hitters this season and 13 for her career. Today's performance was the third no-hitter thrown in SCAC Softball Tourament history.
- Texas Lutheran will play in the SCAC Softball championship final for the fifth consecutive year - one short of the all-time SCAC consecutive tournament final appearances record. Trinity appearned in six straight finals from 2011 to 2016.
- TLU will try to become the first team to ever win five-straight SCAC softball titles. The Bulldogs currently share the mark of four straight with Trinity (1999-2002).
UP NEXT
Texas Lutheran (36-1) advances to Sunday's championship final where they will need just one win to earn the program its fifth consecutive SCAC title. Southwestern (22-12) will play the winner of the Schreiner/Centenary game at 8 p.m. this evening with the winner of that game advancing to play Texas Lutheran at 1 p.m. tomorrow.