'Roos Drop Three at No. 15 Texas Lutheran

SEGUIN, Texas - The Austin College softball team battled but came up short in the team's three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series against No. 15-ranked Texas Lutheran, with the Bulldogs taking game one 4-1 on Thursday evening before winning 9-0 in Friday's first game, and coming from behind to top the 'Roos 6-3 in game three.

In Thursday's game, Texas Lutheran jumped on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first, and added another run in the third to make it a 2-0 game before Chyrsi Hemby smacked a solo home run in the top of the sixth to cut the margin in half. However, the Bulldogs managed to put two more runs across in the bottom half of the inning, including taking advantage of an error for their third run of the game, to make it 4-1 and the 'Roos were unable to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh. 

Alexus Johnson went the distance in the circle for the 10th time this season, surrendering four runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Hemby finished 2-for-3 and Lyndsey Busch was 2-for-2, while TLU's Ashlyn Strother got the win after striking out eight batters and allowing one run on six hits in a complete game performance.

Game one of Friday's doubleheader saw Texas Lutheran jump on top 3-0 after the first inning, and the Bulldogs never looked back from there as Austin College was unable to get anything going at the plate with only two hits in the contest. The Bulldogs went ahead 5-0 after two innings, and three more runs came across in the third. They would add one final run in the bottom of the fourth before the game ended via the run-rule in the fifth inning. Hailie Swiatkowski took the loss for Austin College, giving up nine runs - seven earned - on 12 hits. She also had one of the team's two hits, along with Tori Fowler. Mia Landry went 2-for-3 with a home run to lead Texas Lutheran.

Austin College took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second in game two on Friday, with Swiatkowski doubling home a pair of runs, and Tori Fowler plated Elizabeth Preston in the third to give the 'Roos a 3-0 lead through three innings. However, the Bulldogs got all three runs back in the bottom of the fourth, and two more runs in the fifth put TLU on top for good. The Bulldogs added a final run in the sixth to make it 6-3, and that's how things would end.

Swiatkowski was 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Johnson took the loss for Austin College after giving up five runs on 13 hits in 4.0 innings of work. Annie Kay was 3-for-3 to lead Texas Lutheran offensively.