The No. 10 Our Lady of the Lake (OLLU) softball team picked up their fifth consecutive sweep to extend their winning streak to 10 games. The Saints run-ruled Houston-Victoria today with scored of 13-0 and 10-2. The sweep improves the Saints’ record to 36-6 and 22-0 in Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) action. With the 13-0 win in game one, head coach Bruce Lenington earned win No. 226, making him the all-time winningest head coach in program history. Lenington holds an overall record of 226-62 at OLLU with a 112-11 mark in RRAC play.
In game one of the doubleheader, the Saints jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after Caitlin Terrazas roped a three-RBI double to centerfield in the bottom of the first. Grace Ross launched her eighth homerun of the season in the bottom of the second, a three-run shot to extend the OLLU lead to 6-0. Alyssa Flores went back-to-back in the inning with a solo shot, to make it 7-0 in favor of the Saints. With the bases empty, Terrezas was hit by a pitch and lifted for pinch runner, Brianna Ramirez. Ava Hernandez doubled to score Ramirez, making it 8-0 after two innings.
The Saints added three runs in the third on consecutive sacrifice flys from Lilly Rocha and Yezenia Perez. Flores drove in another run, plating Ross to make it 11-0 OLLU. Lexie Escamilla recorded an RBI in the fourth, scoring Kristee Salas who led the inning off with a single to centerfield. An error from the Houston-Victoria defense allowed the Saints to score their 13th run of the game.
After an error to lead off the top of the fifth inning, Hernandez slammed the door, striking out the side. Hernandez earned the win, allowing just two hits.
Ross and Terrazas each finished the game with three RBI. Flores had three hits in the game, extending her hitting streak to 16 games.
In the second game of the series, the OLLU offense scored in five of the six innings played, but it was the Jaguars the struck first with a solo homerun in the top of the first inning to take the early 1-0 lead.
Hernandez put OLLU ahead in the bottom of the first with her third homerun of the season, driving in Flores and Rocha to give the Saints a 3-1 lead.
Houston-Victoria closed the gap in the second inning with their second solo homerun of the game, making it 3-2.
Ross hit her ninth homerun of the year in the home half of the second inning to extend the OLLU lead to 5-2. After back-to-back singles from Salas and Escamilla, Kayla Rogers grounded out, scoring Salas to make it 6-2. With runners on first and third, Rocha swiped second, allowing Escamilla to score the Saints seventh run of the game.
Starting pitcher, Annika Litterio settled in after the two solo home runs, but gave way to reliever Valeria Vielma in the fourth. With two runner aboard, Vielma induced a fly out to centerfield to end the Jaguars threat.
After Vielma retired Houston-Victoria in order in the fifth, the Saints added another run via a sacrifice fly from Alyssa Garcia, making the score 8-2.
Caitlin Casas led off the sixth with a single to centerfield and came around to score after a double from Ross off the left field wall. With the bases loaded, Rogers singled to centerfield to score Hernandez ending the game via the eight-run rule.
Ross and Hernandez each drove in three runs in the win. Litterio earned the win in the circle, tossing 3.2 innings, allowing just two runs on two hits.
The Saints will return to the diamond on Friday as they welcome No. 6 LSU Alexandria. The doubleheader will begin at 12:00 p.m.
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