BOX SCORE
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Prairie View A&M split a pair of games on Wednesday as they fell 1-0 to Our Lady Of The Lake University before rebounding to win 6-4 in the nightcap.
The first contest came down to one pitch and one throw as OLLU scored once in the fourth and threw out the potential game-tying run in the top of the seventh for a 1-0 win.
Prairie View A&M starting pitcher Cally Falls cruised through the first three innings of action as she retired nine straight batters before surrendering the game's first run and allowing her first hit of the afternoon in the top of the fourth. After allowing three consecutive balls to OLLU leadoff batter Brittany Stone, Falls battled back and forced a full count but Stone won the battle with a solo homer over the left field fence.
With two outs in the fifth, the Lady Panthers were on the verge of something big as Lexus Walker and Peyton Simms hit back-to-back singles. Unfortunately, the inning came to an end as designated player Brenicia Woods grounded out to short. In the sixth, OLLU managed to load the bases after a series of Lady Panther errors but the defense avoided another setback as junior shortstop Leanna Flores made a nifty fielding play and threw out the runner for an inning-ending fielder's choice.
Down to their final two outs in the seventh, Prairie View's Tiffany Robertson singled but was thrown out at second as pinch hitter Alissa Navarro hit into a fielder's choice. Walker drew a two-out walk to advance Navarro into scoring position which led to head coach Vernon Bland reinserting Olivia Pace as a pinch runner. Sensing the momentum turning towards PV, OLLU made a pitching change right before freshman Peyton Simms' at-bat. Simms responded in a big way with a single to right but the game came to an end as Pace was thrown at home attempting to tie the game from second base.
Simms led the Lady Panthers at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance while Falls dropped her first contest of the season despite a six-strikeout, one-hit performance.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to an early lead before rallying back with three runs over the final two innings to claim a 6-4 win in game two.
Senior third baseman Kelly Scruggs put an end to PV's scoring drought in the top of the first with a two-run homer which also scored Simms, who reached on a leadoff single. OLLU trimmed PV's deficit to 2-1 with a run in the bottom frame but PV regained a two-run lead in the third on Kiera Bridges' RBI double which scored Scruggs.
The Lady Panthers were cruising until the bottom of the fifth as starting pitcher Meah Maddox ran into a bout of trouble with one out as the bases were loaded. Senior pitcher Lauren Grun was inserted into the game in a relief role but struggled initially as she walked in two runs which tied the game at 3-all. OLLU claimed its first lead of the game shortly thereafter as Megan Martinez's sacrifice fly drove in Maegan Ramirez for a 4-3 margin.
Prairie View A&M refused to back down as Lexus Walker tied the game in the sixth with a solo homer. In the seventh inning with one out and a runner on first, pinch hitter Brenicia Woods moved PV on top
5-4 with hard-hit RBI double which scored pinch runner Alexis Lang. Woods moved to third on a wild pitch and scored the game's final run on Walker's RBI chopper up the gap.
In the bottom of the seventh, Falls made an appearance on the mound once again and closed the game out with a scoreless frame to record the split.
Along with picking up the win on the mound, Falls led PV with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Scruggs finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored along with two hits, two runs and two RBIs from Walker. Simms also had a solid game as she finished 2-for-2 with a run scored.
The Lady Panthers return to action in two weeks as they'll travel to Lamar on March 5 in Beaumont, Texas.
