'Roos Drop Pair at McMurry

ABILENE, Texas - The Austin College softball team dropped a pair of road games to McMurry University on Friday, falling 11-3 in five innings in the opener before suffering an 8-7 loss in an 11-inning marathon during the second game at Edwards Field.

In the first game, Austin College took an early lead when Reagan Brinkley launched a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Tori Fowler, Emma Freiermuht, and Lauren Trott each collected two hits for Austin College, with Freiermuht driving in a run with a single in the second inning. McMurry answered quickly, putting up five runs in the bottom of the first and adding three more in the second. Reaghan Staehely paced the McMurry offense by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, while Samantha Gonzalez hit a three-run triple. Emmalee Gebhart picked up the complete-game victory in the circle, scattering eight hits and allowing three runs over five innings. Zoey Harrell took the loss for Austin College after allowing eight earned runs.

The second game was a back-and-forth battle that saw Austin College steadily build a lead in the middle innings. Cassidy Cantera helped her own cause by driving in two runs, and Trott hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for Austin College. Piper Lindlau added a multi-hit performance, while Brinkley also contributed two RBI and a double. Trailing late, McMurry mounted a comeback with a five-run seventh inning to tie the game and force extra innings.

Both teams managed to push across a single run in the 10th inning. In the bottom of the 11th, McMurry secured the walk-off win when Alyssa Hernandez, who started the inning on second base, scored on a fielding error by the Austin College defense. Sophia Garza earned the victory in relief for McMurry, striking out five batters and allowing just one earned run over six innings of work. Cantera pitched six and two-thirds innings for Austin College in a no-decision, while McKinley Hankins suffered the loss in relief.