TEXARKANA, Texas — For the second poll in a row, the Texas A&M University-Texarkana softball program held firm in its position at No. 6, with the most recent NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll released Wednesday.
The Eagles (29-4 overall, 14-4 RRAC) received 442 voting points, just seven points out of the Top 5.
TAMU-T has battled injuries to several players recently to stay among the top teams in the RRAC standings, sweeping a doubleheader against Jarvis Christian and splitting one yesterday at Louisiana Christian. The Eagles will be in San Antonio this weekend to face No. 2 Our Lady of the Lake on Friday, then A&M-San Antonio on Saturday, before returning home for their final home games April 25 against Texas College.
The program continues to keep opponents' scores low behind a pitching staff that ranks fourth nationally in team ERA with a mark of 1.53. they are also fourth in runs allowed (66) and third in earned runs (48). The Eagle pitching staff is second nationally in walks allowed with just 39 free passes.
Shorthanded Eagles split with LC
Without their top two hitters in the lineup, the sixth-ranked Eagles struggled offensively in the first of two games Tuesday against Louisiana Christian but rebounded to salvage a split of the conference doubleheader in Pineville, Louisiana.
TAMU-T watched the host Wildcats walk-off a 2-1 win to open the day, but consistently put runners on base and moved them around the diamond for a 6-1 win to close out the series.
GAME 1
LCU (21-22, 11-12) allowed eight hits to the Eagles in the opener, but the visitors managed just a single run and one hit for extra bases. Molly Harrison and Baylee Stautzenberger each had two hits and Macey Cutsinger had two hits with a double. Stautzenberger drove in the Eagles' lone run in the fifth, when she singled into left allowing Harrison to score.
The Wildcats tied it in the bottom half of the same inning, then with two outs and a facing a 3-2 count, LCU doubled off Mackenzie Vittitow to score the game-winner. Vittitow (8-2) got the loss after 1.2 innings of relief. Anna Westberry started and threw five innings, striking out five but allowing three walks, three hits and a run.
GAME 2
After slugging two hits in the opener, Stautzenberger finished a productive day at the plate with a three-hit, two-run performance in the second game. One of her hits — a triple in the third — led to her scoring a run to go ahead 2-0.
Her single in the fifth loaded the bases, leading to a three-run inning for the Eagles.
Sarah Velasquez and Cameron Alardin each drove in two runs, while Patti Swimley added another. Stephanie Chico (9-1) earned the win in the circle, striking out three and allowing just four hits and a run over five innings.
Vittitow finished the final two scoreless innings.
BASEBALL
TAMU-T blanked by Central Baptist
The Eagles' slow start resulted in a scoreless effort Tuesday, a 6-0 non-conference loss at the hands of Central Baptist College at Victory Field in Conway, Arkansas.
A&M-Texarkana (21-19 overall) managed just one hit in the first four innings and finished with seven hits while failing to cross home plate against the Mustangs (17-24).
Luke Hyzdu had a pair of hits and Masashi Takegama doubled for one of his two hits, but the Mustangs homered twice and scored in four separate innings to put a halt to the Eagles' four-game win streak.
Blake Taylor (1-3) took the loss on the mound, despite tossing four innings and allowing just one unearned run. Saneil Patel threw an inning of relief, allowed two solo homers, and exited after giving up two hits and three runs.
Central Baptist opened the scoring with a run-scoring single in the second, added a solo home run in the fifth, and then made it 4-0 with two runs in the sixth. The Mustangs added two more in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
The Eagles have six games remaining before the Red River Athletic Conference postseason tournament, starting with a three-game series this weekend at Louisiana Christian.
The series opens Friday a single game at 2 p.m. and concludes with a doubleheader Saturday, starting at 12 p.m.