Lancer Drop Doubleheader to Texans, Saturday's Finale Takes on Extra Meaning for Seeding

Friday, May 2

Stephenville, Texas

3:00 PM

California Baptist University

24-28, 0

Tarleton

32-20, 0

California Baptist

Tarleton State

Photo by: Ella DuPree

Lancer Drop Doubleheader to Texans, Saturday's Finale Takes on Extra Meaning for Seeding

5/2/2025 10:03:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Daniel Cook, Director of Athletics Communications & Digital Media

STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS - California Baptist University softball opened up the final regular season series today on the road against Tarleton as both teams had eyes on locking up the two-seed in next week's Western Athletic Conference tournament. The home team needed just one win to secure that right but took both ends of the doubleheader, 3-2 in 11 innings and 6-0.

GAME ONE: CBU 2 - TARLETON 3 (11)

The Lancers would open the game with a flurry of action, getting a runner to third with two outs in the top of the first before a strikeout ended the early chance. CBU would eventually strike first in the third inning when Kate Penberthy's sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot, took a 2-0 lead. The Texans' second batter in the bottom of the same inning would cut the lead in half with a solo shot, and they would level the game late in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out single to make it 2-2 and force extra innings.

TSU would continue to hit in the eighth, ninth, and tenth innings but could not string enough together to make a difference. Finally, in the 11th, after the Lancers went three-up-three-down in the top, Tarleton would load the bases in the bottom half with no outs. Starter Morgan McConnell's 176th pitch would force an infield pop-up and record the first out of the frame, but her 179th found grass in right field for the walkoff Texan win. McConnell picked up the hard-luck loss after throwing the most pitches in a single game in the Division I era.

GAME TWO: CBU 0 - TARLETON 6

After the extended opening game in Stephenville, the Lancers and the Texans clashed in the second part of the Friday doubleheader late into the Texas night.

The Texans came out swinging with multiple hits in the bottom of the first, including a double to deep right field that would bring home the game's first run for the home team. Tarleton would dribble another up the middle to score another run and take an early 2-0 advantage. The Texans would score again in the bottom of the third, but Annika Hollingsworth would limit the damage with a pair of flyouts to end the inning.

The Lancers would earn their second hit of the ball game in the top of the fifth via Valerie Alvarez, who would lace one to center field for a single. Tarletons defense would stand firm and not allow the Lancers to make anything of it. Tarleton would put the game away in the fifth with a trio of runs. The Texans would lead 6-0 after the inning and for the rest of the contest.

The Lancers still have plenty to play for, as final seeding for the WAC Tournament is still very much in the air. Four teams, Southern Utah, CBU, Abilene Christian, and UT Arlington, could all still finish with a 12-12 conference record, meaning a myriad of tiebreakers would come into play. Saturday's series finale is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Pacific time first pitch on ESPN+. The other pressing series begin at 8:00 a.m. (UTA), 10:00 a.m. (ACU) and 12:00 p.m. (SUU) Pacific time.