HOUSTON – The Celts of the University of St. Thomas completed a three-game weekend sweep of the University of Dallas on Sunday, winning the series finale 5-0.
Lindsey Longuet shut out the visiting Crusaders for the second time in as many days, striking out nine batters and allowing only two hits to improve her season record to 7-2. Sunday's performance followed a one-hit showing over five innings for Longuet in game one in Saturday's doubleheader.
The Celts (10-6) improved to 4-2 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play with the victory. UST claimed its first three-game sweep over a single opponent this season and the team's first such sweep since taking three games from Austin College (April 17 and 18, 2021).
Freshman third baseman Jaelyn Simmons led the Celts at the plate by going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored; she raised her batting average to .500 with her three hits Sunday. Simmons and Mallarie Munson hit back-to-back RBI singles in the fourth inning to give the Celts their five-run lead.
Simmons scored both of her runs on errors, including the game-winning run in the first inning. With Simmons on first, Munson hit a groundball to third base, but Dallas' third baseman made a wild throw attempting to make the out at second, allowing Simmons to get to third base. In the attempt to get Simmons out, Munson took off for second base, and in trying to get her out, the Crusaders gave Simmons enough time to score.
The Celts added two more runs in the third inning, with Brenna Ruether's RBI groundout highlighting the inning.
In the meantime, Longuet put on a pitching clinic for UST's Sunday audience. She retired seven consecutive batters between the first and fourth inning and finished the game by setting down the final nine Dallas batters.
With the series sweep of Dallas (3-15, 2-4 SCAC), the Celts improved their all-time record against Dallas to 6-0.
UST returns to action this week with a pair of doubleheaders in Abilene. The Celts visit McMurry on Tuesday afternoon, with game one scheduled for 2 p.m., before traveling to the north of town to face Hardin-Simmons on Wednesday.
