Trinity Tiger Softball swept their fourth conference series of the season last weekend, defeating the Pirates of conference rival Southwestern University in three straight games to end the home portion of the regular season. Coming into the series, Trinity was locked in a battle with Texas Lutheran University (TLU) at the top of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) and maintained their 1-game margin after the games in San Antonio.
Game one of the series saw Trinity take a close 3-1 win over the Pirates, a surprisingly tricky match for the Tigers. Trinity took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after Samantha Tagawa was brought home on a Hannah Boudreaux double, but Southwestern would respond with their own score in the top of the second. After that, both teams found themselves starved for runs, as starters Jordan Arce of Trinity and Sophia Ytuarte of Southwestern weren’t rattled by hard contact by opposing batters.
Trinity finally broke the scoring open at one of their last opportunities, scoring two runs off the bat of Peyton Bowser in the bottom of the sixth inning. Bowser’s hit to right took a fortunate bounce for the Tigers, causing right fielder Jodi Glenn-Millhouse to miss the ball on the hop. Arce and senior Marina Delaluna scored on the play, giving Trinity the two-run lead they would hold through the final half-inning to secure their first win in the three-game series, 3-1.
Both teams relied heavily on their defense, particularly once runners were allowed on. Trinity allowed nine hits throughout the game, while Southwestern allowed seven. Despite the high hit numbers, both teams held their opponents off the board and kept them from scoring runs, keeping the game close. It was a significant win for Trinity, as the Tigers had been swept by Southwestern when they played last season in Georgetown. This year, however, Trinity scored the opening blow, taking the first game of three to set up Senior Day the following afternoon.
Games two and three on Saturday saw clear but windy skies in the Alamo City, with fans and family packing the seats at the Trinity Softball field for the final time in 2024. First-year pitcher Megan Kriechbaum got the start in the early afternoon game for Trinity, while first-year Jaden Wheeler of Southwestern would start the game for the Pirates.
Trinity’s high-powered offense was on full display as the Tigers scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, knocking Wheeler out of the game after just 0.1 innings pitched. Madison Vela came in for the Pirates but surrendered a run of her own on a wild pitch, giving Trinity a 3-0 lead. Southwestern wouldn’t respond until the fifth inning, but they did so in a big way by scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning off Kriechbaum, ending her day after 4.1 innings of work in the circle. However, the Trinity offense came up big toward the end as first-year Sydney Boudreaux hit the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth.
Tagawa and Sydney Watson would give the final cushion on the day by batting in two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, securing a 6-3 victory for Trinity and starting the second day of Senior Weekend strong. The game also saw appearances for seniors Diamond Elizondo and Brooke Porter, who weren’t typical starters for the Tigers but got to play one last time in front of a home crowd.
Game three of the series saw the return of Southwestern’s Ytuarte to the circle, but first-year Josephine Koelewyn stepped into the circle for Trinity. The Tigers started the party early, scoring a run off of a Jordan Arce single in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. The run gave Trinity the early advantage and meant that they had scored first — in the bottom of the first — in every game of the series.
Following the early run, both pitchers locked in, stifling opposing batters and allowing just seven hits between both teams combined. Koelewyn pitched a stellar game, as the one-run advantage was all she needed to earn a complete-game shutout in the final home game of the season for Trinity.
It was a bittersweet day as the team said goodbye to many long-time players like Jordyn Williams, Marina Delaluna and Dawson Dabboussi, along with Porter and Elizondo who appeared in their final games as Tigers. The three-game sweep against Southwestern gives Trinity momentum heading into their final two regular-season series before the SCAC tournament in early May. The team plays TLU in what should be a battle to decide the regular-season champion this weekend in Seguin, Texas, before traveling to Shreveport, Louisiana, to play the final three games of the regular season against Centenary College.
