In the first conference doubleheader of the year, the Celts showcased their dominance picking up two wins to sweep Austin College.
Game 1: UST 10 AC 1
St. Thomas wasted no time establishing their lead, scoring three runs in the first inning. Rebecca Archibald got things started with a run, followed by Chloe Bennett's RBI single. Grace Torres also drew a walk with the bases loaded, pushing another run across the plate. However, Austin managed to respond with a single run of their own in the bottom of the inning.
In the second inning, St. Thomas extended their lead with Bennett's sacrifice fly, bringing Archibald home.
The third inning proved to be the turning point of the game, as St. Thomas exploded for six runs. Delayne Moreno, Izabella Hernandez, Jaelyn Simmons, and Lindsey Gonzalez all contributed RBIs, while Bennett added another run-scoring hit. An error by Austin's shortstop allowed two more runs to score, capping off a commanding inning for St. Thomas.
St. Thomas' pitching duo of Allison Hughes and Lauren Trott effectively shut down Austin's offense, holding them to just one run on six hits. Hughes earned the win, pitching four solid innings, while Trott closed out the game with one inning of relief.
On the offensive side, Archibald led the charge with three hits and three runs scored, while Bennett drove in three runs with two hits.
Game 2: UST 5 AC 4
St. Thomas got off to a strong start, scoring two runs in the first inning courtesy of Jaelyn Simmons' RBI double and Chloe Bennett's groundout. They added another run in the second inning when Delayne Moreno singled home Lindsey Gonzalez.
Austin responded with a run in the second inning after Hailie Swiatkowski's RBI double brought Alexus Johnson home.
St. Thomas extended their lead in the fourth inning when Rebecca Archibald reached base on an error, allowing Moreno to score. However, Austin narrowed the gap in the bottom of the inning with Faith Butler's RBI single.
In the seventh inning, St. Thomas added an insurance run when Izabella Hernandez reached on a fielder's choice, driving in Haley Lupian.
Austin made a late push in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs, but St. Thomas held on for the win.
Victoria Sossaman pitched a solid game for St. Thomas, going the distance and allowing four runs on ten hits while striking out four batters. Alexus Johnson took the loss for Austin, giving up five runs on eleven hits in a complete game effort.
With this victory, St. Thomas improved their record to 9-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play, while Austin fell to 7-7 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
