Minutewomen Fall Short In Two Tight Games at Houston Classic

HOUSTON, TX. -- Massachusetts (3-6) fell in two down to the wire games against Northwestern State (5-5) and UTSA (2-8) on Saturday at Cougar Softball Stadium.

Massachusetts opened day two in Houston against Northwestern State, falling 3-2 in a back-and-forth pitchers dual. Each team was held to four hits a piece in a game that featured strong performances from both starting pitchers. Northwestern State used a sac-fly to take a 1-0 advantage in the fourth inning. The Minutewomen responded in the top of the fifth with two runs of their own, swinging the lead in their favor. The Lady Demons however, came back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to claim a one run lead they would not surrender.

Pitcher's duels were the theme of the day as Massachusetts second matchup also ended in a narrow 3-2 loss to UTSA on Saturday evening. UTSA utilized a solo home run in the top of the first to secure the early 1-0 lead. The Minutewomen responded in the bottom of the fourth as senior Sarah Keagy launched a two-run home run to propel Massachusetts to their first lead of the game. UTSA utilized two singles in the top of the sixth to plate both the tying and go-ahead runs, giving the Roadrunners a 3-2 lead.

Senior Sarah Keagy highlighted the day for the Minutewomen, recording three hits including two for extra bases. Freshman Odyssey Torres tallied a hit in both games, hitting out of the leadoff spot in the lineup and playing shortstop.

Senior Bella Pantoja recorded a hit in both games, driving in the Minutewomen's lone RBI against Northwestern State.

Sophomore Natalee Horton and junior Julianne Bolton earned starts on the day with each pitcher allowing three or less earned runs in the circle. Bolton pitched a complete game, striking out six batter on 95 total pitches.

Notable Numbers

1: Keagy launched her first home run of the 2024 campaign
2: Keagy tallied two RBIs against UTSA.
3: Junior Julianne Bolton pitched her third complete game of the season.
5: Torres has now recorded a hit in five games this season

Up Next

UMass matches up with Nicholls for a 10 a.m. first pitch to close out the Houston Classic. Links and live updates can be found at umassathletics.com and @umasssoftball on X (Twitter).

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