By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's softball returned home and resumed their winning ways Saturday as the Rams swept an HBCU Athletic Conference doubleheader from Rust College (Miss.).
The Rams cruised to an 8-0, five-inning win in the opener and then won the second game by a score of 5-4. HT and Rust conclude their series with a single game Sunday at Mabson Field on East 12th St. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
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GAME ONE: HT Rams 8, Rust 0
Alayali Alaniz' team-leading fourth homerun of the season highlighted a three-run first inning and gave Alexis Tamez more than enough run support as the Rams shut down the visiting Bearcats in the opener.
Alaniz blasted a two-run homerun over the centerfield fence to stretch the Rams' lead to 3-0, scoring herself and Madison Stimpson. Stimpson opened the scoring with an RBI single that sent Isabella Roblero home from second base.
Stimpson went 3-for-3 and scored twice in the game, while Roblero and Alaniz each had two hits and scored two runs apiece. Alaniz added another RBI in the bottom of the fifth inning and then crossed the plate on an error to end the game when HT's lead stretched to eight runs.
Aliyah Resendiz also picked up two hits in the game, going 2-for-2 and scoring a run.
Meanwhile, Tamez silenced the Rust bats by striking out seven batters and allowing only two baserunners. She retired the Bearcats in order in the first, second, fourth, and fifth innings. Rust managed two singles in the top of the third inning.
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GAME TWO: HT Rams 5, Rust 4
The Rams again scored the first three runs of the game and built a 5-1 lead, which proved to be just enough to withstand a seventh-inning comeback attempt by the Bearcats.
After two Rust errors plated a pair of runs for the Rams in the bottom of the first, Aliyah Resendiz knocked a solo homerun in the fourth inning to stretch HT's lead to 3-0. Back-to-back singles from Alaniz and Denae Hernandez in the bottom of the fifth gave the Rams a 5-1 lead.
Marleigh Robinson pitched a complete game for the Rams and yielded only two earned runs while striking out two and scattering eight hits. She did not walk any batters, nor did she hit a Rust batter with a pitch. Resendiz and Kayla Guerrero had two hits in the game.
The Bearcats put two runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the seventh, and at one point had the tying run at the plate. Tyler Brown's RBI grounder scored one teammate, while a pair of errors on the play allowed another Rust run to score and cut HT's lead to one. Brown, however, got caught in a rundown and gave the Rams their second out of the inning and emptied the bases. After an infield single, Robinson got a four-pitch strikeout to end the game.
With seven wins in eight conference games, the Rams are among the top two teams in the HBCUAC softball standings. HT has played all their games thus far, while other teams have had games postponed due to inclement weather.
– HT –
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