MARSHALL, Texas -- The Texas Lutheran softball team has reached the 43-win plateau for the third time in program history.
The season's toughest triumph no doubt was the one that helped them reach the mark as No. 9 TLU outlasted No. 1-seeded East Texas Baptist 4-3 in 10 innings in the Marshall Super Regional. A sacrifice fly from Serena Gonzalez (Corpus Christi/Foy H. Moody) in the tenth inning proved to be the difference.
The Bulldogs and their fans can now exhale, but not without experiencing some serious hyperventilating.
In quest of their fourth DIII Women's College World Series appearance, the Bulldogs (43-3) can clinch a WCWS spot by winning Game Two in this best-of-three series on Friday at 1 PM. If Game Three is necessary, it will begin at 3:30 PM Friday. The game will be broadcast on ncaa.com. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.
Katelyn Howard (Waller/Hempstead) entered in the fifth inning and tossed 4.2 innings in relief to earn the win, allowing just two hits and two walks. Amanda White (Lockhart/Lockhart) got the start and tossed 4.2 innings before being relieved by Howard. White would re-enter with one out in the tenth and forced a double play to earn her seventh save of the season. On the day, White surrendered three runs on three hits and five walks while striking out two.
The Bulldogs made a number of crucial defensive plays throughout Thursday's contest whether it be a diving catch in right field from Taylor Vannett (Kingwood/Kingwood) or a number of stellar plays from middle infielders Caelee Clark (Montgomery/Lake Creek) and Linzee Leal (Corpus Christi/Mary Carroll) but none were bigger than a relay from Annie Kay (Sinton/Sinton) to Leal to Bella Rodriguez (Pearland/Pearland) in the bottom of the ninth to prevent a walkoff from a Tigers team that has made a habit of that over the last month of their season.
An RBI single from Faith Hernandez (Dinuba, CA/Dinuba) gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The two teams traded zeroes from there until the Bulldogs scored two runs on an ETBU error to briefly take a 3-0 lead before the Tigers struck for three runs in the bottom of the inning.
The top ten teams engaged in a pitcher's duel through extras until a pinch-hit, leadoff double from senior Kylee Jack (Richwood/Brazoswood) ignited a 10th-inning rally. A bunt single from Caelee Clark put two runners on and set up a first and third before Clark stole her 63rd base of the season. The Tigers threw out Linzee Leal at home for the first out of the inning before the decisive sac fly from Gonzalez scored Clark for the game-winning run. With the sac fly, Gonzalez drove in her third run of the game and 60th of the season, a new single-season program record.
Howard was able to get 2024 Honda/NCWS Division III National Player of the Year, Tristen Maddox, to fly out for the first out in the bottom of the tenth before allowing just her second hit of the day. Amanda White entered following the single and forced the final sequence of the game, a ground ball to Caelee Clark for a 4-3 double play to end the game.
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