HOUSTON, TX – The University of St. Thomas' softball team continued its strong conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Austin College, earning a 11–0 shutout victory in Game 1 and a 12–2 win in Game 2. The Celts combined aggressive baserunning, timely hitting, and a powerful offensive surge to control both contests, responding quickly to early moments and pulling away to secure the pair of SCAC victories.  With the sweep, the Celts improve their overall record to be 15-3 and are now 13-2 in conference.

Game 1: UST 11, AC 0

St. Thomas opened the scoring in the first inning when Rebecca Archibald stole home during a double steal attempt with Chloe Bennett, taking advantage of an Austin College error to give the Celts a 1–0 lead.

The Celts added another run in the second inning as Ana Zozaya doubled to left field, driving in Viviana Vargas to extend the lead to 2–0.

St. Thomas continued to build momentum in the third inning. Ciaira Gonzalez tripled to center field to score Samantha Crumrin, and Vargas followed with an RBI single to bring Gonzalez home, pushing the advantage to 4–0.

The Celts broke the game wide open in the fourth inning with a big offensive surge. Savana Henken singled to right-center field to score Kianah Johnson before Bennett delivered an RBI single that brought home Gigi Rivera. Crumrin then doubled to center field to plate Henken and Archibald, stretching the lead to 8–0.

Later in the inning, Zozaya drew a bases-loaded walk to score Bennett, and Vargas came around to score on a pitching error to cap the scoring and give St. Thomas the 11–0 victory.

Game 2: UST 12, AC 2

Austin College struck first in the first inning with a pair of RBI doubles to take a 2–0 lead. St. Thomas answered immediately in the bottom of the inning, though. Savana Henken doubled to center field to drive in Rebecca Archibald and put the Celts on the board. Later in the inning, Samantha Crumrin lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score Henken, and Ciaira Gonzalez followed with a RBI groundout that brought home Chloe Bennett, giving St. Thomas a 3–2 advantage.

The Celts added to their lead in the second inning. Archibald singled to right field to score Kianah Johnson before Bennett delivered a two-run double to left field, bringing home Henken and Archibald to extend the lead to 6–2.

St. Thomas continued to build momentum in the fourth inning with another explosive offensive surge. Gonzalez drew a bases-loaded walk to score Henken, and Viviana Vargas followed with a RBI single to center field. Ana Zozaya added another run with a RBI single to left field, and Johnson delivered a RBI single of her own to push the lead further.

The Celts continued to apply pressure on the bases as Vargas stole home during the inning, and Olivia Sanchez capped the rally with a RBI single to right field that brought home Johnson, sealing the 12–2 victory.

Up Next

The Celts will continue their season on Wednesday, March 18, as they prepare to face Tufts University on the road for a doubleheader.  The first game is scheduled to begin at 2PM with the second following directly after.