(Story Courtesy of Texas Lutheran University Sports Information Department)
SEGUIN, Texas -- The No. 2 Texas Lutheran softball team (39-4, 21-0 SCAC) started the NCAA Seguin, Texas Regional with a bang Friday night, winning 9-1 in five innings at Ed Kruse Stadium.
The win was Texas Lutheran's 22nd in a row and their 13th run-rule victory of the season.
Senior Sarah Metzer finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs on the night - including a solo home run in third, her first of the season. Madison Johnson also drove in two runs to lead the Bulldogs.
Texas Lutheran registered 10 hits for nine runs in the game while the TLU pitching duo of Ashlyn Strother and Amanda White sacrificed just one run on six hits.
The Bulldogs didn't take long to light up the scoreboard, scoring two runs in the first as Texas Lutheran would score at least one run in every inning.
Texas Lutheran would strike first with Kelly Jurden scoring on a wild pitch and Bailey Hudgeons driving in Casey Martin to give TLU an early 2-0 lead.
In the second, Texas Lutheran would score four runs, taking advantage of defensive miscues from the Panthers defense. After Chassety Raines scored following a Chapman throwing error, Madison Johnson would clear the bases driving in Jurden and Brandalyn Dee to extend the Bulldogs lead to 5-0. Johnson would tack on another run scoring on the Panthers second throwing error of the inning.
After the Panthers scored a run in the top of the third inning, the Bulldogs responded as Sarah Metzer blasted a solo home run over the left field fence.
The fourth saw Metzer drive in Riley Futrell for her second RBI of the game.
Casey Martin would walk it off in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double that scored Kelly Jurden to bring the game to its final score of 9-1.
Eight Bulldogs registered a hit in the game with four plating at least one run, led by Metzer and Johnson.
In the circle, Strother collected her 22nd win of the season in the circle in 2.1 innings pitched allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters. White would toss the final 2.2 innings in relief - only allowing one hit on the night. With the win, Strother now is the sole owner of the Texas Lutheran single-season wins record passing Maitlin Raycroft's 21-win 2017 season.
Texas Lutheran will face Chapman tomorrow in games two and three in the Seguin, Texas Regional. First pitch is scheduled for 5 PM and 7:30 PM at Ed Kruse Stadium. All streaming and live stats links can be found on tlubulldogs.com. Tomorrow's games will also be broadcast on KWED 1580 AM Radio with Mike McBride on the call for fans in the Guadalupe County area.
