Last Saturday, the University of Dallas softball team travelled to Brownwood, Texas for a double-header against Howard Payne University. For the first time since 2008, the team set a three game winning streak with a 2-0 victory over Howard in the first game and an impressive shutout by junior Maggie Watts who pitched the whole game. The last time UD had a shutout was March 2018 at Austin College. This is the first complete seven-inning shutout of Watt’s career.
UD maintained momentum in the second game, but was not able to secure another victory against the Yellow Jackets. Freshman Annabel Anderson made history for the Crusaders with a three-run homer to give the team an early lead against the Yellow Jackets. Unable to maintain the lead, however, HPU came back to tie the game at 3-3. Despite three more runs by the Crusaders, Howard eventually pulled ahead in the sixth inning to secure a 9-6 win against UD. Overall, the team was pleased with their performance against HPU, but is always looking to improve.
“We play well as a team and never give up. We could improve by consistently hitting throughout the game and not just in a couple innings or so,” said Watts. “We have goals to not be the underdog this year, but come out on top early and be a good team on and off the field.”
Although the games against Howard were non-conference, the team played with the same intensity as a conference match.
“Every game means something and they all hold importance. We are here to compete and show everyone that we are here to play,” said junior Liz Cordova.
The Crusaders hit the road again this upcoming weekend for the 2020 Millsaps Tournament February 21-23. The Tournament will be good preparation for their first conference game against Texas Lutheran University at home on February 28.
