'Roos Drop Pair at No. 9 ETBU

MARSHALL, Texas - The Austin College softball team got its 2026 campaign underway in a tough road doubleheader against No. 9-ranked East Texas Baptist, falling 12-2 in game one and 9-0 in game two.

The Bulldogs pushed two runs across in the bottom of the first in game one to take an early lead, but Austin College squared things up in the top of the first when Jadyn Myers scored on a fielder's choice by Tori Fowler, and Brooklen Crider scored later in the inning on an error to make it 2-2. However, East Texas came alive offensively in the bottom half of the inning, pushing nine runs across to make it 11-2 and put the game out of reach after three. ETBU's Makayla Menchue homered twice and drove in five runs in the third, and the Bulldogs tacked on one more run in the fourth to make it a 12-2 final.

Myers was 2-for-3 to lead the 'Roos as Austin College was limited to two hits, and she also added a stolen base. Lauren Trott took the loss, surrendering seven runs - six earned - on four hits with four walks in 2.1 innings of work. Avery Holland went the distance to earn the win for ETBU, striking out eight batters while giving up a pair of runs in 5.1 innings of action.

ETBU jumped out to another 2-0 lead after one in the second game of the twinbill, this time pushing five more runs across in the second to make it 7-0 and Austin College couldn't get anything going offensively, scattering three hits in the game. Two more runs came across in the third to make it 9-0 and that's how things would end after five innings. Myers, Ashlynn Brothers, and Jillian Kelly each had a base hit for the 'Roos while McKinley Hankins absorbed the loss, giving up even runs on nine hits in 2.0 innings pitched. Izabella Morales was 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI to pace the Bulldogs, and Alexis Kemp pitched 4.0 scoreless innings, striking out seven, to secure the win.