CONWAY, AR – The University of St. Thomas softball team traveled to Conway, Arkansas to face conference opponent Hendrix College in the opening game of a three-game series. The Celts delivered a dominant performance in Game 1, defeating the Warriors 9-1 in six innings to begin the series on a strong note.

Hendrix struck first in the opening inning to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Celts quickly responded. St. Thomas evened the score in the third inning when Chloe Bennett singled to center field, bringing home Rebecca Archibald to tie the game at 1-1.

The Celts took full control in the fourth inning. Ciaira Gonzalez launched a home run to deep center field to give UST a 2-1 advantage. Later in the inning, Gigi Rivera singled down the left field line, scoring Avery Pinz and extending the lead to 3-1. Bennett continued her strong appearance at the plate with another single, driving in two runs as UST pushed the lead to 5-1.

St. Thomas added to its momentum in the fifth inning when Maegan Anderson lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Viviana Vargas to score and make it 6-1.

The Celts sealed the victory in the sixth as Bennett tripled to deep right field, bringing in two more runs to stretch the lead to 8-1. Gonzalez followed with an RBI groundout, scoring Bennett and capping off the 9-1 win in six innings. 

Up Nex
The Celts will continue the three-game series against Hendrix on Friday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. For more updates, visit ustcelts.com or follow @ustsoftball on Instagram.