Madison Griggs’ homerun in Game 1 and Daryn Haslam’s four-hit outing in Game two were some of the highlights as the Texas Southern University softball team dropped a pair of emotional extra inning decisions to Prairie View A&M University on Saturday evening at Memorial Park.
TSU (2-16, 0-5 SWAC) held late leads in both games before PVAMU (6-15, 5-0 SWAC) pushed through to force extras where Panthers would eventually win both games 6-2 and 7-5, respectively.
Game 1
After giving up the lead in the top of the first on a walk to force in a run for the Panthers, TSU would answer back quickly when Griggs led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer deep to left center.
After playing small ball to get a runner in scoring position with less than two outs, Destinee Dixon would step to the plate two batters later with two outs and sent a hot shot to the shortstop who could not handle the play and allowed the lead run to score the plate in the form of Madison Battle. The score would remain 2-1 in favor of TSU until the top of the seventh when a one out single back up with middle drove in the game’s tying run and forcing an extra inning.
A pitching change before the eighth would come back to haunt TSU as the reliever would give up a walk, a home run, a walk and a home run in that order with no outs and PVAMU staking claim to a four-run lead.
Unfortunately for TSU, the Tigers could not muster any form of a comeback and lost the day’s opener 6-2.
Game 2
Both teams combined for 25 hits and 12 runs as PVAMU came back from a 3-2 deficit to take the 7-5 decision in nine innings.
After falling behind 2-0 before being able to take their first hacks at the plate, TSU would collect a run with one out in the bottom of the first when Pamela Richardson scored on a wild pitch. The score would remain 2-1 in favor of the opposition until Battle’s RBI single to second scored Jazmine Dodd to tie the game at 2-2. Haslam would use one of her four hits to give TSU a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth when she sent a seeing eye single back up the middle to score Griggs.
PVAMU responded with a homer to lead off the top of the sixth before staking claim to a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Back-to-back errors by the Panthers would tie the game at 4-4 sending everyone into a second game of the day needing extra innings.
Another leadoff home run by PVAMU put the pressure back on TSU as the Tigers used a pinch hitter with two outs in the frame in an effort to extend it and that is exactly when Madison Martinez did when she obliterated a pitch over the centerfield fence forcing a ninth inning.
It was at this point that another home run and a sacrifice fly by PVAMU would be all the Panthers would need to take the two-run victory as TSU had no answer in the bottom of the ninth.
UP NEXT
TSU will step outside of SWAC play in an effort to end the current six-game losing streak when the Tigers travel to Beaumont, Texas, to take on Lamar University in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon with the first pitch of Game 1 slated for 2 p.m. CT.
Courtesy: TSUSports.com