AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's softball team celebrated a landmark day in its history Friday as they swept a Red River Athletic Conference doubleheader from Texas College.
The Rams (2-8, 2-8 RRAC) scored nine unanswered runs en route to a 10-6 win in Friday's opener, then held on for an 8-6 victory in the second game.
HT's victories – the first collegiate wins for head coach
Kacey Hvitved – were the Rams' first triumphs since a 2-1 win at Texas A&M–Texarkana on April 1, 2023. HT cancelled its last 11 games of the 2023 season and then was forced to 2024 season after four games due to injuries to a depleted roster.
"I was very proud of the improvements and the steps forward we took today," said Hvitved, who was hired shortly before the start of the 2024 season. "These student-athletes are paving the way for our future teams."
Senior third baseman
Menina Cavazos homered twice Friday; she hit three-run homeruns in each game. Her blast in the fifth inning of game one gave the Rams a 7-6 lead and helped ignite a six-run inning.
Every player in HT's starting lineup collected at least one hit in the opener.
Madison Stimpson, making her season debut with the Rams, went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while
Kayla Camacho went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
Alayali Alaniz went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while
Aidan Johnson and
Isabella Roblero collected two hits in the first game.
Marleigh Robinson earned the complete-game victory in Friday's opener. She struck out three batters while scattering 11 hits.
In the second game, the Rams jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three innings, and then got a big boost from Cavazos' second home run of the day that gave the home team an 8-2 lead in the sixth inning. Cavazos' blast proved to be a valuable cushion as the Steers plated four in the top of the seventh.
Cavazos,
Aliyah Resendiz, and
Emily Ruiz each had three hits in the game, as did
Gabby Cantu, who also made her first official appearances for the Rams on Friday. Cantu, a two-year letterwinner with the HT women's basketball team, played softball at San Jacinto College and was on the softball roster at Texas A&M–San Antonio before transferring to HT to play basketball.
Ruiz, Resendiz, and Roblero each had an RBI in the second game, while Cavazos drove in four runs in Friday's finale.
Camacho started in the pitcher's circle in the second game, earning her first victory of the season. She struck out three batters while scattering four hits. Robinson struck out two batters in a relief appearance.
The Rams return to action Saturday when they host Jarvis Christian in a conference doubleheader at Mabson Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
– HT –
