RAMS FALL OUT OF RRAC TOURNAMENT
May 5, 2006

FARMERS BRANCH, TX:  The Texas Wesleyan University softball team (29-21) suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday.  The Rams were defeated 2-1 by Northwood University and 5-3 by UT-Permian Basin knocking them out of the tournament.

The losses do not diminish an incredible season that has seen Texas Wesleyan tie or break 25 school records and two national records.  Most notable are the home run records.  The school mark of 11 in a single season has been thoroughly smashed with Tara Sharp hitting 18, Rachel Hampton 16, and Marie Stone 14.  Hampton, a junior, also became the school’s career leader with an even 30 while driving in a school record 61 runs this year.

A lineup in which eight hitters hit at least two home runs, combined for an NAIA record 66 long balls.  The team also tied the NAIA record with 47 total bases in a game against Concordia-Austin.  The Lady Rams also set school records with six home runs, 27 hits, and 46 at bats in that game.  In addition, the team set records with 451 hits and 328 runs scored.

In the Lady Rams’ first game on Friday, against Northwood, the Knights scored first courtesy of a two-run home run from Kayla Maddox in the bottom of the first, her third home run in five games against the Rams this season.

The Rams got on the board in the third, when Alicia Wylie ripped a one-out double down the leftfield line and scored on a single from Ariel Raley.  Northwood got two runners on with one out in the fifth, but Rachel Lamont induced two ground balls to get out of the jam with no damage done.

The Rams loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but could not score, and Maddox finished out the complete game to give Northwood a 2-1 win.

Maddox allowed one run on six hits while striking out four in six innings of work.  Lamont limited the Knights to just two runs on four hits in seven innings, but fell to 9-5 on the season with the loss.  Ariel Raley led the Rams at the plate by going 2-4 with a single, double, and RBI.

Against UT-Permian Basin, the Falcons put two runs on the board with a two-run double from Holly Hicks in the top of the first.  The Rams answered immediately when Alicia Wylie drew a leadoff walk, stole second and third, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Marie Stone.

UTPB made it 4-1 with two runs on three singles and a walk in the fourth.  The Lady Rams finally fought back in the bottom of the sixth.  After Wylie singled to start the inning, Ariel Raley cracked her seventh home run with two outs in the inning to bring Texas Wesleyan within one at 4-3.

The Falcons added an insurance run in the top of the seventh with back-to-back doubles from Sony Figueroa and Krisit Tosi.  In the bottom of the seventh, Elizabeth Brady singled with one out.  Michelle Perez then reached on a fielder’s choice, just beating out a double-play ball, and Jazmine Boss followed with a sharp single through the left side.  Unfortunately the Rams could not push those tying runs across, and fell 5-3.

Jennifer Parker earned the win after tossing seven innings and allowing three runs on six hits.  Devin Blew fell to 10-5 with the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in 3.2 innings pitched.