Posted: May 21, 2021
(Story courtesy of Texas Lutheran Athletic Communications)
SEGUIN, Texas -- Defending NCAA Division III national champion Texas Lutheran showed Friday - in a 21-3 regional tournament victory over Cedar Crest (Pa.) - that the Bulldogs are not quite ready to give up the title.
In the opening game of the NCAA DIII Softball Championship Seguin, Texas Regional at TLU's Ed Kruse Stadium, the Bulldogs belted four home runs and had 19 runs across the plate by the end of the third inning.
TLU trailed 2-0 after the top of the first but scored 21 unanswered before the Falcons added a run in the fifth.
The Bulldogs, champions of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, improved to 29-4 overall and won their 21st consecutive game of the season.
Cedar Crest, out of Allentown, Pa. and champions of the Colonial States Athletic Conference, dropped to 17-4. The Falcons were playing in their first-ever NCAA regional. Cedar Crest eliminated Bridgewater (Mass.) later in the day to remain alive in the six-team regional tournament.
Against the Falcons, TLU senior outfielder Skylar Ouellette homered twice in the eight-run second inning. She started the inning's scoring with a solo home run to left field and ended the scoring with a three-run shot to left.
Chassety Raines, the winning pitcher, also homered in the second inning. Haley Padilla added to her career record for home runs with her 21st, a two-run blast in the third.
Raines scored four times and drove in three. Kelly Jurden had two hits, two runs, two RBI, and four stolen bases.
Sarah Metzer went 2-for-2 and had two runs scored and three RBI, and Bailey Hudgeons and Padilla each scored three times.
TLU will play No. 3 seed Christopher Newport, a loser to Emmanuel (Mass.) by a score of 3-2, at 11 a.m. Saturday at TLU's Ed Kruse Stadium - Morck Softball Field. The game is an elimination game for Christopher Newport and a chance for TLU to move deeper into the winner's side of the bracket.
