COMMERCE, Texas — Southern University split a two-game nonconference softball slate Sunday at John Cain Family Softball Stadium, dropping the opener to North Texas before rebounding with an 8–4 win over East Texas A&M.
The Lady Jaguars showed resilience throughout the day, overcoming an offensive lull in Game 1 with a balanced performance in the nightcap to even their record at 7–7.
Game 1: North Texas 9, Southern 1
Southern struggled to find offensive rhythm in the opener as North Texas controlled the game behind consistent hitting and strong pitching.
The Mean Green threatened early with two hits in the first inning but were held scoreless before breaking through in the second. A leadoff single eventually came around to score on a wild pitch, giving North Texas a 1–0 advantage.
North Texas extended its lead in the third inning, stringing together multiple hits and capitalizing on a Southern defensive error to plate two additional runs.
Southern's offense was limited throughout the game. North Texas pitcher A. Anderson kept the Lady Jaguars off balance, allowing just two hits while striking out eight over five innings.
Southern's best scoring opportunity came in the fourth inning when
Asia George led off with a double to left field. After advancing to third, George scored on an RBI groundout by
Ava Wallace to cut the deficit to 3–1.
Any momentum was short-lived.
North Texas broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring six runs on seven hits. The inning featured a three-run double and several hard-hit balls that pushed the lead to 9–1.
Southern used three pitchers in the contest, but the Mean Green finished with 14 hits overall.
The Lady Jaguars were unable to mount a response in the bottom half, as North Texas retired the final six Southern hitters to secure the run-rule victory.
Game 2: Southern 8, East Texas A&M 4
Southern responded with a much sharper performance in the second game, combining timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and steady pitching to secure the win.
The Lady Jaguars struck first in the second inning.
Laila Clark opened the frame with a double before
Izabell Astran and
Madison Clark drew walks to load the bases.
Asia George delivered the key swing of the inning, lining a two-run single up the middle to give Southern a 2–0 lead.
East Texas A&M answered immediately in the bottom half.
The Lions used a pair of doubles along with two Southern defensive errors to score four runs and take a 4–2 advantage after two innings.
Southern quickly settled in and began to chip away.
In the third inning, Clark delivered again with an RBI double to center field that trimmed the deficit to one run.
The Lady Jaguars regained the lead in the fourth inning through disciplined situational offense. Astran singled to open the inning and later scored on a fielder's-choice RBI by
Keira Miracle-Tilford. Moments later,
Ava Wallace added another RBI fielder's choice to push Southern ahead 5–4.
From that point forward, Southern controlled the game.
Pitcher
Aaliyah Zabala found her rhythm in the circle, retiring nine consecutive batters across the middle innings while working efficiently through the East Texas A&M lineup.
Southern added key insurance runs in the sixth inning. George singled to spark the rally before Miracle-Tilford tripled to right field to extend the lead. Wallace followed with an RBI single to make it 7–4.
The Lady Jaguars added one more run in the seventh when Astran lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to score
Prestaisha White.
Zabala closed the game with a scoreless seventh inning to secure the complete-game victory. She allowed eight hits and four runs—only two earned—while striking out four.
Offensively, Southern finished with 10 hits and seven walks. George led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 performance and two RBIs, while Clark recorded two doubles and an RBI. Wallace also drove in two runs.
UP NEXT
Southern will host Memphis in the home opener on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
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