A&M-Victoria staves off elimination with win over Southwest

PINEVILLE, La. — The Texas A&M University–Victoria softball team split its opening day at the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday at Wildcat Park, falling to Texas A&M–San Antonio in the first round before bouncing back with a clutch elimination-game victory over the University of the Southwest.

The Jaguars showed resilience by responding to early adversity and extending their postseason run with a well-rounded performance in the nightcap.

A&M-Victoria is now 27-17 overall and awaits either Our Lady of the Lake or Texas A&M-Texarkana in another elimination game on Sunday.

A&M-Victoria 5, USW 3

Facing elimination, the Jaguars responded with a 5–3 victory over the University of the Southwest in the evening session, using timely hitting and a strong bullpen effort to stay alive in the tournament.

Southwest took advantage of a fielding error to score an unearned run in the third inning, but A&M–Victoria answered immediately with a three-run rally in the bottom half. Kitty Coe delivered the key hit, singling through the left side to drive in a run, while two additional runs – including herself – scored on a throwing error to give the Jaguars a 3–1 edge.

After Southwest briefly tied the game at 3–3 with a two-run fifth inning, the Jaguars regained control. Coe struck again in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single, and Cristela Trevino added an insurance run in the sixth with a pinch-hit RBI single up the middle.

Haley Noska got the start in the circle before Madelyn Butler earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Zoe Hardy closed the door in the seventh to pick up the save. Coe finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Trevino's pinch-hit proved decisive.

A&M-San Antonio 9, A&M-Victoria 3

Texas A&M–Victoria opened tournament play with a 9–3 loss to Texas A&M–San Antonio in a first-round matchup earlier in the day. The Jaguars were kept off the scoreboard through the first two innings before both teams traded momentum in a pivotal third frame.

TAMUSA struck first with four runs in the top of the third inning, capitalizing on a string of hits to build a 4–0 advantage. The Jaguars responded in the bottom half when Khamryn Werdlow singled to left center and a throwing error allowed Sianna Miller to score, trimming the deficit to 4–1.

Texas A&M–San Antonio added three more runs in the fifth inning and continued to pressure the Jaguar defense throughout the middle innings. A&M–Victoria briefly cut into the lead in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Madison Carr, but TAMUSA answered with insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to seal the outcome.

Angelina Morales led the Jaguars offensively, finishing 2-for-4, while Carr drove in a run. Pitching duties were split among Madelyn Butler, Kailea Freeman and Zoe Hardy, with Butler taking the loss. The defeat sent A&M–Victoria into an elimination situation for its second game of the day.

Next up

The Jaguars will face the loser of tomorrow morning's OLLU-TAMUT contest at 2 p.m. at Wildcat Park. The live stream will be carried by 446 Sports.