Tag: softball

Softball’s winning streak reaches 15 with wins over XULA

The softball team swept Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in a doubleheader on March 19. The Saints move to 24-4 overall and 9-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Gold Nuggets drop to 7-15 overall and 3-7 in RRAC play. The Saints have won 15 straight games.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “We had a combination of great starting pitching, timely hitting and solid defense throughout the games today.”

History
The Saints were 2-0 against the Gold Nuggets prior to the games.

Game one
The Saints didn’t allow a run in both games against the Gold Nuggets. They used runs in the later innings to grab the first game of the doubleheader. Madison Nunn started the scoring in the fourth inning with a two-run home run that scored Deandra Vera. Kayla Dreese scored on a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning to extend the Saints lead to 3-0. She doubled in the seventh inning to score Madison Garza and Cassandra Valdez followed with a single to bring in Dreese.

The Saints won 5-0 backed by nine hits. Valdez pitched a complete game and earned the win with 12 strikeouts. Garza tallied both a double and a triple.

Game two
OLLU put up 10 runs in the second game. They totaled 13 hits including three doubles and a home run by Ariel Montgomery. Caitlin Terrazas and Garza both had a multi-hit game and Montgomery drove in two runs. Angela Ramirez grabbed the win in the circle by pitching four innings with four strikeouts. OLLU tabbed seven runs in an impressive offensive fourth inning. The Saints run-ruled the Gold Nuggets in five innings with a 10-0 victory.

Up next
The Saints host the University of the Southwest in a doubleheader on Friday starting at noon.

Six homers help Saints softball sweep A&M San Antonio

The softball team continued on its 11-game winning streak after sweeping Texas A&M University–San Antonio (AM-SA) 3-2 and 13-0 in a Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) doubleheaders.

The Saints improve to 20-4 overall and 6-0 in the RRAC, while AM-SA drops to 7-12 overall and 2-2 in the RRAC.

Prior to the game, senior MacKenzie Purcell was recognized. She joined the Saints this season after previously playing for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She has batted six times this season and amassed two hits, including a double. MacKenzie also walked twice, scored twice and drove in one runner. Purcell is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.

History
The Saints are now 9-1 against the Jaguars. Last season, OLLU defeated AM-SA 11-4, 9-0 and 9-8, and lost 6-7.

Game One
Caitlin Terrazas started the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning. The score remained 1-0 through the fourth inning when Terrazas hit her second homer of the game. After an at-bat from Ariel Montgomery, Joanna Gonzalez hit a homer to put the Saints up 3-0.

The Jaguars threatened in the sixth inning after Melissa Gonzalez doubled to score Peyton Vasquez. Samara Aguilera followed with a hit to left to send Allesandra Rosalez home. The Saints were able to close out the game with the 3-2 win.

Terrazas led the offense after going 2-for-2 with two homers and two RBIs. Cassandra Valdez got her 10th win after pitching seven innings and striking out a career-tying 12 batters.

Game Two
The Saints wasted no time in filling the scoreboard. Madison Nunn’s single scored Terrazas and Rebecca Duran. Madison Garza reached base after an error by the catcher that scored Emilia Salinas. Kayla Dreese reached on a fielder’s choice to get all bases occupied. Kristee Salas came up to bat and hit a grand slam over the center field fence. All seven runs were scored in the first inning.

In the second inning, Nunn sent the ball over left, and she scored Alyssa Flores and Gonzalez to put the Saints up 10-0. Salas returned to bat in the third inning and hit her second homer of the game to give the Saints the 11-0 lead. Kaili Luna’s hit sent Deandra Vera home in the fourth inning. Luna scored on an error to put the Saints on top 13-0, and after the Jaguars batted in the top of the fifth, the Saints secured the win on the run rule.

Nunn and Salas both went 2-for-2, with five RBIs each. Nunn had one homer, while Salas had two. Angela Ramirez notched her eighth win after pitching all five innings and striking out four.

What’s next
The Saints will travel to Louisiana for its next four games. They will play Louisiana Christian University on March 17 and Xavier University of Louisiana on Saturday.

Angela Ramirez struck out a career-high 12 batters as softball sweeps Schreiner

The No. 15-ranked OLLU softball team swept NCAA D3 Schreiner University 9-1 and 4-1 on March 4. The wins move the Saints to 16-4 overall, while the Mountaineers drop to rovers fall to 5-9.

Before the game, the Saints honored senior Caitlin Terrazas, who joined the team in 2022.

History
The Saints are 17-2 against Schreiner. Last year, the Saints beat the Mountaineers 6-1, 6-1, 3-0.

Game one
The Saints jumped on the scoreboard first with a two-run homer that scored Cassandra Valdez. The score remained 2-0 through the fourth inning when the Mountaineers threatened with a homer of their own from Kendall Lippold. The Saints added another run in the bottom of the fourth after Rebecca Duran doubled to score Deandra Vera. In the fifth inning, Ariel Montgomery smacked the ball over center field to put the Saints ahead 5-1.

Montgomery started the four-run rally in the sixth inning after her hit scored Emilia Salinas. Joanna Gonzalez grounded out to short, which sent Terrazas home. Duran reached base on an error by the right fielder, and Julissa Moreno and Montgomery scored to end the game on the run rule.

Terrazas led the offense after going 2-for-4, adding two runs and two RBIs. Montgomery and Gonzalez also went 2-for-4, and Moreno went 2-for-3. Duran recorded three RBIs.

Valdez earned her eighth win of the season after striking out six.

Game two
Schreiner’s Trista Miller singled to score Malorie Solis for the game’s first run. Duran reached base on a fielder’s choice, and Valdez came home to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth inning. Garza knocked the ball to the left side of the field, and both Moreno and Salinas came home to put the Saints up 3-1 in the fifth. Marissa Bradley’s double scored Alyssa Garcia, and the Saints won 4-1.

Flores led the offense after going 2-for-2. Garza went 2-for-3 and added two RBIs.

Angela Ramirez pitched a seven-inning gem, striking out a career-high 12 to go up 6-0.

Up next
The Saints travel to Austin next for a Red River Athletic Conference doubleheader against Huston-Tillotson University on Tuesday.

Softball splits doubleheader against St. Mary’s University

The softball team won one of two games against NCAA D2 No. 21-ranked St. Mary’s University (StMU) on Feb. 25. The Saints move to 10-4 overall and remain at 2-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Rattlers are now 14-5 this season.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “I was proud of how we responded as a team after a lopsided loss. St. Mary’s is a quality program, and any win over here is a quality victory.”

History
The Saints were 0-5 against the Rattlers prior to the games.

Game one
The Saints had a tough start to the day in game one. The Rattlers totaled eight runs on eight hits, including two doubles. Cassandra Valdez started in the circle and suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs. Ariel Montgomery pitched in relief and gave up three earned runs on three hits. Julissa Moreno had the Saints only hit, which was a double to left field. The Rattlers scored seven of the eight runs in the fifth inning to run rule the Saints.

Game two
The Saints earned the program’s first victory over the Rattlers in game two. OLLU started hot with a run in the first inning when Alyssa Flores doubled to bring in Caitlin Terrazas. The Rattlers answered in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single. The game remained tied until the fourth inning. Madison Garza hit a sacrifice fly to score Eneli Garza and Kayla Dreese doubled to score Emilia Salinas. Flores continued her momentum at the plate by bringing in Garza the following inning. The Saints won 4-2 behind a complete game from Angela Ramirez. She earned the win after striking out two batters and allowing only one earned run.

Up next
The Saints take on NAIA No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University on the road on today.

Softball splits doubleheader against TAMUK

Thesoftball team won one of two games against NCAA D2 Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) on Feb. 19. The Saints move to 9-3 overall and remain at 2-0 in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC). The Javelinas are now 3-5 overall.

History
This was the first meeting between the two programs.

Game one
The Saints won a thrilling game one against the Javelinas. Kingsville started the scoring with three runs in the top of the first inning. OLLU responded with a two-run home run from Cassandra Valdez. The game saw multiple lead changes in the following innings. The Javelinas took a one-run lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. Caitlin Terrazas singled to score Valdez and tie the game. Ariel Montgomery followed with a walk-off single up the middle to bring home Kayla Dreese. The Saints won 3-2 and Angela Ramirez earned the win in the circle. Montgomery was the starting pitcher and went 2.1 innings giving up four earned runs. Ramirez pitched in relief for 4.2 innings and struck out four batters. The Saints hit three home runs and Valdez finished with four RBIs.

Game two
The second game was a close contest. Both starting pitchers didn’t allow a run in the first five innings. The Javelinas broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning with one run. The Saints immediately responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame. The Saints led by one run heading into the final inning. Brylee Bilger started the inning with a solo home run to tie the game. Matisen Onofrei was hit by a pitch later in the inning to bring in a run, and the Javelinas took the lead. The Saints were unable to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and Kingsville won 3-2. Valdez pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts but suffered the loss by allowing three earned runs. Terrazas and Madison Garza were responsible for the Saints two hits.

Up next
The Saints head to Oklahoma City to take on No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City University on Friday.

Softball wins four of five during Saints Four Seasons Classic

The softball team won four of five matchups as they hosted the Saints Four Seasons Classic from Feb. 10-12. The Saints played multiple games against Bethany College (BC) and Midland University (MU). Texas A&M University-San Antonio also competed in the tournament. The Saints are now 6-2 overall.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, “I thought our team had a great showing against top tier competition. Rebecca Duran, Joanna Gonzalez and Kristee Salas were standouts offensively and Cassandra Valdez showed why she’s one of the best players in the country.”

vs. BC (Feb. 10)
The Saints offense shined in the first game of the tournament. They scored 11 runs on 11 hits, and Rebecca Duran batted 3-for-4. Ariel Montgomery and Kristee Salas both drove in three RBIs. Angela Ramirez earned the win on the mound after going 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and four earned runs. Allie Gonzales pitched in relief and allowed two earned runs in 3.2 innings of work. Salas and Madison Garza both hit home runs, while Duran recorded two doubles and a triple. OLLU won 11-6 to kick off the tournament. 

vs. MU (Feb. 10)
OLLU took on No. 22-ranked Midland in the second matchup. Both teams scored two runs in the first inning, but the Saints pulled away in the third frame. They totaled seven runs backed by home runs from Duran and Garza. The Saints would add two more runs in the fourth inning and eventually run rule the Warriors 11-3 in five innings. Cassandra Valdez pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts and only two earned runs given up.

vs. MU (Feb. 11)
The Saints only loss of the tournament was a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Midland. Following a 2-1 lead, Midland added one run in the sixth inning and three in the seventh inning. The Saints totaled six hits but were able to score only two runs. Valdez started on the mound again and allowed four earned runs in 6.1 innings of work with 11 strikeouts. Aliyah Rincon pitched a complete game for the Warriors with five strikeouts.

vs. BC (Feb. 11-12)
OLLU dominated the Bethany Swedes in their fourth game of the tournament. The Saints led 14-0 after four innings when the game was suspended due to darkness. The game resumed in the fourth inning on Sunday morning and the Saints added three more runs. They run ruled the Swedes 17-0 in five innings and played sound defense with no errors. The Saints had 11 players finish with at least one hit, and Marissa Bradley drove in four RBIs and hit a home run. Montgomery shined on the mound in a complete game with two strikeouts and no runs allowed.

vs. MU (Feb. 12)
The final game of the tournament was won by the Saints. The Warriors put pressure on the Saints with three runs in the first inning. OLLU responded in the second inning with five runs, backed by a three-run home run from Duran. The Saints added three more tallies in the following inning. Kayla Dreese hit a sacrifice fly to score Taylor Gage, and Salas hit another home run that scored Madison Nunn. The rest of the game was scoreless as the Saints won 8-3. Valdez pitched another complete game with nine strikeouts and only four hits given up.

Up next
The Saints begin Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) play with a doubleheader versus the University of Houston-Victoria on Saturday.

Softball wins two of three against Central Baptist

The softball team opened its 2023 campaign by hosting the OLLU Classic with Central Baptist College (CBC) and the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV). The Saints won the first of three games against CBC on Friday 6-1 and the first game on Saturday in extra innings 6-5 but fell to the Mustangs 4-8 to close out the tournament. The Saints are now 2-1 on the season, while CBC is 2-3 after splitting against UHV yesterday.

Game One
The Saints took an early lead against CBC after Caitlin Terrazas doubled in the first to send Madison Nunn home. The Mustangs tied the game in the second inning on a stolen base from Allison Wagle.

The Saints took the lead in the third inning after Nunn scored her second run to put the Saints up 2-1.

Rebecca Duran hit a double in the fourth to send pinch-runner Arianna Alejandro home. In the sixth inning, the Saints scored three runs. Pinch runner Emilia Salinas came home, and a triple from Duran scored Joanna Gonzalez. A sac fly from Kristee Salas scored Alyssa Garcia, giving the Saints the 6-1 lead and win.

Duran led the offense after going 3-for-3, adding two runs. Cassandra Valdez earned the complete-game win after striking out 10.

Game Two
CBC set the pace of the game after scoring two runs to begin the first game on Saturday. Wagle’s home run sent Katie Smith home. Madison Garza hit a double in the second inning, sending Duran to third. She scored on a throwing error by the left fielder.

Salas hit a home run in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2.

The game went into extra innings, and the Mustangs were the first to threaten after scoring two runs. The Saints stayed alive in the bottom of the eighth after a home run from Alyssa Flores also sent Dreese home.

Neither team scored in the ninth inning, and CBC added the potential winning run in the top of the 10th. With Dreese placed on second, Caitlin Terrazas hit a walk-off home run to win the game 6-5.

Duran went 2-for-4 and added a run. Terrazas and Flores added two RBIs each. Terrazas, Flores and Salas each had a home run.

Valdez earned the win after pitching in relief for three innings. She allowed two hits and one run while striking out two.

Game Three
The Saints marked five errors in the game, three of which came in the first inning, allowing the Mustangs to take the 2-0 lead. Flores’ double sent Terrazas home in the bottom of the first. Another Saints’ error in the second inning allowed the Mustangs to score two more runs. CBC added one run in the third on a sac fly from Smith that sent Maddie Thompson home.

With the Mustangs leading 5-1, the Saints threatened in the third inning after Salas hit her second home run of the series, scoring Terrazas.

CBC added two more runs in the fifth inning to lead 7-3. OLLU’s Garza hit a homer in the fifth to take the game to 7-4, but the Mustangs sealed their win in the sixth inning with another run.

Salas led the offense with two RBIs, including one home run. Ariel Montgomery suffered the loss after pitching 4.2 innings.

Up next
The Saints host the Four Seasons Classic Friday-Sunday with Bethany University, Midland University and Texas A&M University-San Antonio.

Softball begins quest for successful 2023 campaign

The softball program begins the 2023 campaign on Friday after recording the best season in school history in 2022.

2022 recap
The Saints boasted a 46-13 record in 2022 and qualified for the NAIA Softball Opening Round, where they won two games and eventually fell to the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. OLLU won 24 straight games from March 18-April 22. The squad was ranked fourth in the NAIA with 181 extra-base hits and batted .329 as a team. The Saints’ pitching rotation limited opponents to a .225 batting average and struck out 349 hitters.

Preseason ranking
The NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Preseason Poll placed the Saints at 15 out of 25 programs. Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “We think our team deserves to be nationally ranked, and we are going to pursue the top 10.” The Saints are ranked first in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Preseason Coaches’ Poll, with defending champions Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) following in second place.

Coaching staff
Lenington returns for his fourth season at the helm. During his time at OLLU, Lenington has amassed an 83-45 overall record and a .775 winning percentage in RRAC play. Jody Armijo and Katrisha Arocha are back as assistant coaches.  

Nonconference schedule (numbers after school indicate series record).
The Saints start the season by hosting two tournaments. They welcome Central Baptist College (CBC) (1-2) and the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) (17-30) for the OLLU Classic from Feb. 3-4. OLLU will play CBC three times during the tournament. OLLU showcases another tournament the following weekend. The teams participating include Bethany College (2-0), Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) (7-1) and Midland University (3-2). The Saints face Midland three times and Bethany once.   

OLLU will play multiple nonconference games throughout the RRAC schedule. In a doubleheader, they face NCAA D2 Texas A&M University-Kingsville at home on Feb. 19. The Saints travel to Oklahoma City to face the defending NAIA champions Oklahoma City University (2-2) for two games on Feb. 24. They play a pair of games at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (0-2) on Feb. 25 and St. Mary’s University (0-5) on Feb. 28. OLLU hosts Schreiner University (SU) (15-2) in a doubleheader on March 4 and then closes nonconference competition at SU on April 5.

Conference schedule
The conference schedule consists of doubleheaders spread throughout the spring. OLLU opens conference competition at home against UHV on Feb. 18. They head to Austin, Texas, to play Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) (30-11) on March 7 and return home to host TAMUSA on March 11. The Saints then head to Louisiana for matchups against Louisiana Christian University (LCU) (1-1) on March 17 and Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) (2-0) on March 18.

The Saints host the University of the Southwest (USW) (39-13) on March 24 before heading for another road trip. The trip includes games against UHV on March 28, Jarvis Christian University (JCU) (15-5) on March 31, Texas College (TC) (32-3) on April 1 and TAMUSA on April 8. OLLU hosts HTU on April 11 and heads west to face USW on April 15. The Saints close the regular season with matchups at home against TAMUT (6-9) on April 21 and LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) (7-23) on April 22.

Returners
The Saints boast 12 seniors. Returners include Rebecca Duran, Jennifer Estrada, Joanna Gonzalez, Ariel Montgomery, Julissa Moreno, Madison Nunn, Angela Ramirez, Kristee Salas, Caitlin Terrazas, Cassandra Valdez and Deandra Vera. The seniors combined for a .286 batting average last season, and Montgomery drove in 52 RBIs. Valdez, who will play one more season after this one, earned RRAC Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year by boasting a 1.79 ERA and four complete-game shutouts.

Marissa Bradley, Eneli Garza and Kaili Luna return as juniors. Taylor Gage is the lone returner for the sophomore class. Garza committed only one error in centerfield throughout her 38 games last year. Bradley batted .283, while Luna had a perfect fielding percentage in right field.

Newcomers
OLLU welcomes five freshmen to the program. Texas natives Arianna Alejandro, Allison Garcia, Alyssa Garcia, Ariana Garcia and Emilia Salinas begin their Saints career on Feb. 3. MacKenzie Purcell joins the team as a graduate student, and senior Madison Garza arrives after playing at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Juniors Alyssa Flores and Allie Gonzales were recruited over the summer. Flores comes from NCAA D2 St. Mary’s University, while Gonzales transfers from RRAC opponent JCU. Lenington commented, “Allie Gonzales garnered votes for pitcher of the year as a freshman last season with Jarvis. She beat us twice, and we are happy to have her here.”

Fan expectations
The staff has made multiple improvements over the last few seasons to the OLLU Softball Field. The Saints are proud to offer shaded seating for fans this year. Field improvements include a new padded wall that surrounds the backstop. Live streaming will be available at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ollusaints/.

In The News

Recent media coverage that brought attention to OLLU:

On May 7, a story on KSAT-12 about the OLLU softball team’s second-round victory over LSU-Alexandria in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament:

On May 6, a story on Texas Public Radio about students at OLLU and UTSA who are collecting oral histories of women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces: 

https://www.tpr.org/military-veterans-issues/2022-05-06/women-and-war-oral-history-project-captures-complex-legacy

On May 6, a story on ValleyCentral.com about Raymondville’s Jayson Cantu signing to play baseball at OLLU: 

https://www.valleycentral.com/local-sports/raymondvilles-cantu-signs-with-ollu/

On May 5, a story on ValleyCentral.com about a Weslaco High athlete, Kennedy Villalpando, who signed to run cross country and track at OLLU: 

https://www.valleycentral.com/local-sports/weslacos-villalpando-signs-with-ollu/

On May 4, a story on News4SanAntonio about eight McCollum High School students signing letters-of-intent to play college sports, including two at OLLU:  

https://news4sanantonio.com/sports/high-school/eight-mccollum-student-athletes-sign-to-compete-in-college-athletics

Late-game heroics propel Saints to conference championship

The No. 1-seed OLLU softball team downed No. 2-seed Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) to advance to the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Championship Game which will be played today at 12:30 p.m. on the OLLU Softball field. The Saints improve to 44-9 overall while the Eagles fall to 40-12.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “I’m very proud with how our team played today. Cassandra Valdez (JR/Brownsville, Texas) led us offensively and defensively. Joanna Gonzalez (SR/San Benito, Texas) and Kayla Dreese (SR/San Antonio, Texas) hit huge solo home runs for us. We’ll need another big day tomorrow to finish this thing off.”

History
The Saints were 5-7 against the Eagles prior to the game.

Basics
The Saints and Eagles engaged in a pitching batting until the fourth inning. Erika Richardson hit a two-run home run with two outs to give the Eagles the advantage. The Saints responded in the bottom of the frame when Valdez doubled to left field to score Ariel Montgomery (SR/Castroville, Texas) and Dreese. Gonzalez gave the Saints the permanent lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when she homered over the left field fence. Dreese added an insurance run for the Saints in the next inning with a solo home run to left-center field. The Saints won 4-2 to advance to the championship game in the RRAC Softball Tournament.

Valdez pitched the entire game in the circle and struck out seven batters to earn the win. Dreese had a multi-hit game and Valdez tallied two RBIs.

Up next
The Saints face TAMUT in the RRAC Championship Game tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.