Alverno Opens Season With Series Split At Austin

SHERMAN, Texas -- Alverno College split its season-opening series with host Austin College on Thursday night with a 7-2 extra-innings victory for the Inferno in game one, followed by a 6-0 loss to the Kangaroos in the nightcap.

In the opener, Alverno (1-1) struck first as Stef Wilmore blasted a RBI-double to right field to score leadoff hitter Jamie Villalobos in the top of the first. However, Austin (1-1) answered in the bottom of the second with a two-run home run by Briana Hernandez.

That would be the only miscue from Alverno hurler Erin Dulek (1-0), as she shut out the Kangaroos the remainder of the game.

After a pair of scoreless innings, the Inferno tied the game as Villalbos was plated a second time on a Lauren Colette double. The Inferno stranded a pair of runners in the seventh inning and Austin stranded one, which forced extra innings in the season debut.

The floodgates opened for Alverno in the top of the ninth as an Erika Wotnoske walk began a string of five-straight base runners for the visitors. Ashleigh Sagat, Wilmore, Lauren Colette and Emily Ortner each recorded a hit and Colette's RBI-single gave the Inferno the go-ahead score. Dulek knocked in the fifth and final run of the inning.

Dulek allowed just a two-out single in the bottom-half of the inning and finished with eight strikeouts in the complete-game victory.

Villalobos, Wilmore and Ortner each had three of the Inferno's 15 hits.

In game two, the Inferno offense couldn't get going as just three players recorded a hit in the shutout loss.

The Austin batters put 10 hits on the Inferno pitchers, as starter Villalobos (0-1) was chased in the fourth inning after surrendering four runs, and then two were added to Dulek's final seven outs.

Austin's Sophia Hernandez (1-0) went the distance and fanned seven batters in the win.

Alverno continues its three-series trip to Texas with a doubleheader at the University of Dallas on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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