SOFTBALL: Record-breaking season continues as Jackets sweep UDallas
IRVING, Texas – The LeTourneau YellowJackets added two more victories to their record-setting win total after sweeping the University of Dallas in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday.
At Crusader Field on the campus of the University of Dallas, the YellowJackets – who prior to 2011 had never won more than 16 games in a season – won their 18th and 19th games of the year by scores of 10-1 and 12-2.
The first game of the evening saw the YellowJackets take advantage of their speed on the basepaths and five Dallas errors. LeTourneau players stole six bases and knocked four extra-base hits in the game.
Junior outfielder Kayla Blucher (San Antonio, Texas/Reagan) provided the highlight of the afternoon with her first home run of the year – an inside-the-park home run that sailed into the right-centerfield gap to lead off the top of the fourth inning.
Ashley McPhail (Katy, Texas/Faith Academy), LeTourneau's Player of the Week nominee in the American Southwest Conference, led the YellowJackets in game one by going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Christin Mickelboro (Longview, Texas/Longview) went 1-for-3 and scored three runs in the opener.
Kelsie Mercer-Stephenson (Baytown, Texas/Sterling) scattered four hits over four innings to pick up the victory for the YellowJackets, while freshman pitcher Taylor Thibodeaux pitched the final three innings to earn the team's first save of the season.
First-year players Amber Pena (Fort Worth, Texas/North Crowley) and Kelli Parton (Henderson, Texas/Henderson) picked up their first collegiate base hits as pinch hitters in the latter stages of the game.
Parton enjoyed a memorable day, as she made her first collegiate start as a pitcher in game two. She pitched a complete game as the Jackets won 12-2 in six innings.
In the second game, Mickelboro, the Jackets' leading hitter this season, went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs. Kali Behrens (Montgomery, Texas/Montgomery) knocked two RBIs in the game.
The Jackets continued to display their speed on the basepaths in game two, stealing eight bases off the Crusader defense. McPhail stole two bases in the game.
The YellowJackets return to conference play Saturday when they travel to Marshall for a doubleheader rematch with East Texas Baptist. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
