OXFORD, ALABAMA – Of course the game before theirs ran long. And the umpires were late getting there when it was finally time to start.
While waiting, the Angelina College Lady Roadrunners played hacky-sack. They used bats to draw caricatures in the infield dirt.
If the Lady ‘Runners were uptight about Tuesday’s opening-round loss, they certainly weren’t showing it. Their loose pre-game approach carried into the game, as AC blanked Eastern Arizona 7-0 in Wednesday’s elimination round of the NJCAA Division I Softball World Series in Oxford, Alabama.
AC pitcher Mia Gilmore went the distance in the circle, striking out five and scattering seven hits without allowing a run. The Lady ‘Runner defense, which had not been its stellar self in the opening-round loss, bounced back with an error-free effort in the infield and outfield.
At the plate, the Lady Roadrunners got two RBI each from Hailey Fuentes and Kaetlyn Dunbar, and an RBI each from Bailey Frenzel and Skyler Martin.
AC, the visiting team, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Frenzel drove in Fuentes with a double, Dunbar drove in Madi Baker with a groundout and Martin launched a long ball that hit the top of the right-field fence – only to bounce back into play. Martin’s triple would send home Dunbar for the 3-0 margin before the Lady Monsters had even picked up a bat.
Dunbar’s solo homer in the third inning lifted AC to a 4-0 cushion, Fuentes’ two-run double in the fourth made it 6-0 and Dunbar scored on a seventh-inning error for the final margin.
On Thursday, the Lady Roadrunners open the day with a noon game against Kaskaskia College. The winner moves into the next game at 4 p.m., and should the Lady ‘Runners win those first two contests, they’ll play at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
All games are live-streamed on the NJCAA Network (subscription service).
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
