Feb. 16, 2011

Story courtesy of Texas Wesleyan Sports Information

SHERMAN, Texas -- The Texas Wesleyan University softball team (2-0) opened the 2011 season with a pair of wins at Austin College (Texas) (2-2) on Tuesday (Feb. 15).  The Lady Rams took game one 12-6, before besting the Kangaroos 8-5 in game two.

In game one, junior first baseman Christina Kelley paced the offense by hitting for the cycle, while senior pitcher Ashley Tarrant became the school's all-time strikeout leader.

Kelley singled in the top of the first, but was stranded at second.  The Roos loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Suzanne Beltran delivered an RBI single, and Carolyn Stone followed with a walk to push the score to 2-0.

The Rams answered in a big way the very next inning.  Texas Wesleyan sent ten hitters to the plate and scored five runs on five hits, including a three-run blast from Kelley.  In the third inning, the Rams added on with three consecutive RBI doubles from Raven Moreno, Kelley, and Haley Butler, as part of a four-run rally that put the Rams on top 9-2.

In just her fourth collegiate at bat, freshman Lindsay Cline led off the sixth inning with a solo homer down the left field line.  The Roos scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Texas Wesleyan answered again, this time with an RBI triple from Kelley, completing her cycle, and a run-scoring single from Butler.

Tarrant (1-0) allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits while striking out eight in 5.1 innings of work.  The eight strikeouts gave her 336 in her career, surpassing the school record of 333 set by Ashley Oldham last season.  Tarrant also holds the school mark for strikeouts in a single game (14) and was just ten shy of the single season mark of 139 last year.

Kelley was 4-for-5 at the plate with 5 RBI and three runs scored.  Butler went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the win.

The Lady Rams immediately took any drama out of game two.  After the Roos started the game with back-to-back errors, Texas Wesleyan plated seven runs on four hits, including a bases-clearing triple from Rangel.

The Rams made it 8-0 in the second inning with a double from Kelley and an RBI single from Cline.  The Kangaroos got single tallies in the third and fifth innings.  Two Texas Wesleyan errors allowed Austin College to score three runs without a hit in the seventh, but the rally fell short.

Ashley Hudson (1-0) earned the win after allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out two in six innings pitched.

Cline led the Rams at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a walk, two RBI, and a run scored.

The Lady Rams will return to action at the Cowtown Classic on Friday and Saturday.  The tournament will be held at Fort Worth's Gateway Park.  The Lady Rams are set to take on Sterling College at 9:00 a.m., Baker University at 11:00 a.m., and Evangel University at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.