PLANO, Texas – The Dallas Christian College softball team reached the NDAG Softball Regional Championship in its first season as a program after going 2-0 on Friday with wins over Ecclesia College and Arlington Baptist University.
The Crusaders would play the winner of those two teams, which ended up being the No. 1 Seed Arlington Baptist on Saturday afternoon. The Crusaders led 5-3 through five innings in the first matchup, but a nine-run sixth inning allowed the Patriots to pull away, as the offense scored 13 runs in the final two frames.
These teams re-matched in a winner-take-all contest about 30 minutes later and it was back-and-forth throughout. The teams traded leads through the first three innings and were tied through four. A four-run fifth that was highlighted by a three-run blast by ABU's Ariana Ramos would mark the difference in this game. DCC did not give up, as it scored two runs in the seventh and had the go-ahead run at the plate.
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Saturday)
Game 1 (L, 16-5)
The No. 2 seed played as the home team at John Paul II High School and were able get out to a an early lead with a run in the first inning.
Summer Hasfurter led off the inning with a walk and
Jordyn Billodeaux singled through the left side.
Mikenzie Miller moved them over to scoring position on a groundout and
Zyian Bender hit a grounder to second to plate Hasfurter.
ABU answered with a run in the next half inning on a bases-loaded walk.
Katherine Hanks came in relief and would get the final out on a fielder's choice that got the out at second to end the threat.
Cassidy Jordan and
Maya Williamson started the bottom of the second inning with back-to-back doubles to take the lead. ABU brought in Ramos in relief of its starter and was greeted with an RBI-single by Rhea Weatherly to make it 3-1. DCC had runners on second and third, but Miller would ground out to third.
The Patriots got a run in the third inning with a three hits. Kara Cannon had the RBI-hit to center field that scored Greer West and made it a one-run deficit. DCC got a big double play on a lineout to Williamson in left field and she doubled Danner off at second to end the inning.
After the game's first perfect inning happened, which was one-of-three overall in the game, in the bottom of the third; The Patriots tied things in the fourth thanks to an Amanda Perez triple in the right field corner. Kierra Mendoza had scored on the play. DCC's defense had made a huge play the batter before, as Mendoza had a sacrifice bunt attempt, but Briana Perez would be aggressive going to third and was out on the play. DCC's infield defense remained strong with a groundout to second and groundout to the pitcher that kept the tie intact and Perez at third base.
The Crusaders rallied to grab the lead back in the home half of the fourth, with Weatherly reaching on a one-out single up the middle. The lineup turned to the top with two outs and went to work. Hasfurter hustled out an infield single to third that had pinch-runner
Jackie Gutierrez reach second. Billodeaux singled to left-center and advanced to second on the throw, as Gutierrez scored the go-ahead run. Miller reached on a fielding error, which scored Hasfurter but an aggressive Billodeaux got out on the play to end the inning.
The lone 1-2-3 inning for the Patriots happened in the fifth inning.
Things flipped in the sixth. Hanks was on her fourth inning of work and got one out within the first four batters. Two errors occurred within that time, which were costly as the Patriots took the lead with one swing of the bat. Natalie Winchester doubled to center field and cleared the bases that had been loaded to make it a 6-5 ABU lead.
Trinity Johnson entered, but had worked a combined 9.1 innings on Friday. Zoey Bredleau doubled to plate Winchester. The Patriots would open the floodgates as the inning included six hits with five of them driving runs in. Three were doubles, with the last one coming on a ball hit to right-center by B. Perez and scoring two runs to cap a 12-5 advantage.
The Crusaders loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but a double play that went from the pitcher to catcher and to first would extinguish the rally.
ABU added four more runs in the seventh, as Bredleau homered to left-center for a two-run shot and West had a triple and later came in on a sacrifice fly. B. Perez doubled down the left field line to round out the scoring in this game. Winchester had doubled prior to the home run, so the Patriots only had three of the four hits of the cycle in the frame.
The Patriots picked up 17 hits in the game compared to 10 by the Crusaders. Both teams combined for seven errors.
DCC only had two extra-base hits, which were the doubles mentioned in the second inning. Billodeaux went 3-for-4, while Hasfurter and Weatherly were each 2-for-3.
Hannah Mattingley earned the start and had gone 1.2 innings with the lone run allowed at the time being the walk in the second inning. Hanks tossed 3.2 relief innings and allowed just two runs, as she scattered seven hits. Johnson faced three batters with the big hit and two walks allowed. Mattingley would re-enter and finish the game, so her total line was 3.1 innings with five earned runs on nine hits. She walked three and had the pitching staff's lone strikeout.
ABU's Ramos got the win with 4.1 innings of relief. Destinee Urea went 1 plus innings and was tagged for three runs on three hits and a walk. McHailee Danner finished the final 1.2 innings with two strikeouts. She got the double play in the sixth to escape a bases-loaded jam.
Game 2 (L, 8-6)
The Crusaders teams went back to home and away based on seedings, so the Crusaders were the visitors for the second time this weekend going against higher-seeded Arlington Baptist. The Crusaders batted first and took the early lead with two runs in that inning. Miller singled to left-center field and the top two hitters in the lineup, Hasfurter and Billodeaux, would score.
Hasfurter was in the circle for the first time this postseason, would put a zero on the board despite a two-out error.
The Patriots did get three runs in the bottom of the second on a double by Brianna Escalante to left-center that scored Danner. Hasfurter was in a tight spot with runners on second and third and no outs while clinging to a 2-1 lead. She caught a pop-up for the first out and then an RBI-ground out to short would score Cannon to tie things at two runs, but it was out number two. A. Perez doubled into the right-center gap on a first pitch to give the Patriots a 3-2 edge. DCC would get two runners stranded after a walk and then Hasfurter got the number-three hitter Bredleau to fly out to center.
The Crusaders responded in their next at bat with Billodeaux igniting the third inning with a single to the pitcher. She advanced to second on a bad throw. Miller laced a single to left and Billodeaux scored to make it a new ballgame at three runs. Miller had gone to second on the throw and would come in on a
Zyian Bender double to right-center field for the Crusaders second lead of the game at 4-3. After
Kaycee McDowell reached on a fielder's choice, Williamson flied out for the first out. With first and second,
Emily Blocker hit a ball that glanced off the shortstop's glove and kicked toward behind second base. At the very least all runners would be safe and bases loaded, but Bender was called out for interference. So now two outs and runners on first and second and DCC would finish the frame on a strikeout.
Even with the momentum shifting slightly toward the home dugout, Hasfurter kept the Patriots to a lead-off single in the home third inning. A lineout to right field, a fielder's choice got the lead runner at second, and then a groundout to third would hold the 4-3 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Patriots found the tying run as B. Perez doubled to center field. She moved to third on a groundout and then A. Perez singled through the right side. She would go to second on a throwing error and then make third on a sacrifice bunt. Thankfully with two outs, a grounder back to the pitcher would keep the game knotted.
The game-changing inning was the bottom of the fifth. West started with a single up the middle on a 3-2 pitch. There was an out to center and then an error on a sacrifice bunt put two one. Ramos got ahold of an 0-1 pitch that carried just to the left of center field where the wall raises up and made it 7-4. Mendoza would cap the inning by scoring on an inside the park home run to right.
Danner meanwhile had settled in to retire 13 straight batters that included three straight perfect innings. With one out in the seventh, Hasfurter broke that streak with an infield single to shortstop. Billodeaux got a full count and would sneak a single between second and first. Miller got on by a fielding error at short to pack the bases with Crusaders. Bender flied to right and got a run in on the out, but DCC was down to its final one. It was a bit of a bizarre play as the ball got away on the throw in and the runners tried to each take an extra bag. Billodeaux appeared out trying to come home and the game would have been over. Instead it was runners on second and third with two outs and life for DCC. McDowell beat out an infield roller that was fielded by the pitcher and Billodeaux did make it safely. Miller was at third. Williamson lofted a fly ball to right and Ramos, who had the game-deciding swing, would capture the last out to complete the Patriots' 3-win day for the championship.
The Crusaders were outhit 12-9 in this game, while both teams had three errors which helped the teams find runs throughout the competition.
The top five hitters of DCC's lineup was responsible for all the hits, as Billodeaux had three in four at bats. She would also score three times and was part of the top trio of hitters on the lineup card to score all the runs. Miller had three RBI, while Bender added two in the cleanup spot of the order, and McDowell had that final one to give the heart of the order all the runs-batted-in.
Hasfurter logged 4.2 innings with six earned runs of seven allowed on eight hits. She walked two and got 10 groundouts. Hanks tossed the last 1.1 innings and worked around an unearned run on four hits and a walk.
ABU had a quartet garner two-hit games with A. Perez going 2-for-3 with a pair of ribbies. West, Escalante, and Ramos were the other multi-hit players. The high seed did smack five-extra base hits.
Neither team had a stolen base attempt in this game.
Danner went the complete game and allowed six runs, three earned, on nine hits. She walked one and fanned 10. She had 128 pitches thrown in this game and was also able to finish the Crusaders over the last combined 8.2 innings in the championship.
ABU was able to win in its first season as a program as well, and used a formula of late scoring to either retake the lead or push the score to a run-rule decision. The team did this to Ecclesia in the opening game of the day with an 8-0 final.
The Patriots advanced with an automatic bid to the National Christian College Athletic Association Softball World Series in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 17-19.
DCC POSTSEASON NOTES
- The Crusaders scored 10 runs in the first inning of all games combined this tournament. This included at least one in every game.
- DCC had five home runs in the tournament, all coming on Friday. Bender had two in the tournament-opener to give her a team-high five on the season.
- Bender combined for nine RBI in the tournament. Miller had eight with three games with multiple. The duo had six apiece on Friday between the pair of wins.
- Billodeaux recorded three hits in every contest. The native of Palmdale, California, would score nine runs across three of the games with three in each one she scored.
- Hasfurter recorded a hit in all four games including two-hit games in all matchups with Arlington Baptist. She combined to score seven runs over the course of the regional and had two in each matchup with the Patriots.
- Johnson earned winning decisions in both games on Friday by going a combined 9.1 innings in both starts. She matched Hanks for appearances with three in the regional.
- Hanks would appear in relief in the final three games of the regional and allowed just two earned runs across eight innings.
- DCC scored 11 runs for a team-high four different times, which included three against Ecclesia College. The latest was the first tournament game, which also accounted for the team's lone run-rule victory in 2022.
- The only games in the regional that went the full seven innings were the three matchups between the Crusaders and Patriots.
- Dallas Christian has reached the regional championship in five different sports the past two years in four different sports. Volleyball (2), women's basketball, men's soccer, and softball. DCC has played the Patriots in four of them and gone 2-2. Both wins were for volleyball's NCCAA Division II Southwest Regional Championships in 2020 and 2021.
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