On the final day of their regular season, Softball was competitive against top ranked Texas Lutheran.
Game 1: UST 3 TLU 7
Texas Lutheran got off to a strong start in the first inning when Serena Gonzalez stole second base, and Annie Kay stole third before crossing the plate to give their team an early 1-0 lead.
St. Thomas responded in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run single to right field by Chloe Bennett, bringing in Jaelyn Simmons and Rebecca Archibald to take a 2-1 lead.
In the second inning, Texas Lutheran tied the game at 2-2 when Tatum Seith was hit by a pitch, allowing Bella Rodriguez to score.
St. Thomas reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a single by Rebecca Archibald, bringing in Lindsey Gonzalez to make it 3-2.
Texas Lutheran rallied in the fourth inning, with Serena Gonzalez's single down the left-field line bringing home Caelee Clark to tie the game once again at 3-3.
The game remained deadlocked until the eighth inning when Texas Lutheran exploded for four runs to pull away for good. Caelee Clark's single to left field drove in Taylor Vannett for the go-ahead run. Later in the inning, Linzee Leal stole home, and Serena Gonzalez added to the lead with a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing in Annie Kay. Tavery Ortiz grounded out to third base, scoring Annie Kay and extending Texas Lutheran's lead to 7-3.
St. Thomas was unable to mount a comeback in the final inning, giving Texas Lutheran the victory.
Both teams displayed strong performances, but in the end, it was Texas Lutheran's late-game offensive surge that secured the win.
Game 2: UST 0 TLU 5
The game remained scoreless until the second inning when Texas Lutheran's Reagan Hillis stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, eventually scoring to give her team a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Texas Lutheran's offense exploded. Taylor Vannett's single to left-center field brought Madison Johnson home, extending their lead to 2-0. Then, Kylee Jack delivered a massive blow with a towering home run, driving in three runs and propelling Texas Lutheran to a comfortable 5-0 advantage.
St. Thomas struggled to generate offense throughout the game, unable to find an answer for Texas Lutheran's pitching and solid defense.
Pitcher Ainsley Davis led Texas Lutheran to victory with a stellar performance, pitching a complete game shutout and allowing only five hits with no walks or strikeouts. Allison Hughes took the loss for St. Thomas, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits over six innings.
