By GARY STALLARD
AC Athletics
HUDSON – Down a run in the first game. Down four runs in the second.
The Angelina College Lady Roadrunners, playing in their first official games in three weeks, weren’t about to let a couple of deficits put a damper on their “home” opener against Lamar State College-Port Arthur on Monday evening. AC put together a five-run sixth inning in the opener to win 5-1, then duplicated the feat with a five-run fifth inning to win the nightcap 12-8.
AC played on Hudson High School’s new turf field since the Angelina College facility has been under a steady deluge for the past week.
In the opening game, starting pitchers Kiriany Hornberger for AC and Ashley May of Lamar-PA locked into a pitchers’ duel over the first five innings. The Seahawks scored a run in the first on a double steal, then held that 1-0 lead until the sixth inning.
AC’s Brette Kohring got things started with a solo homer to left field to tie the game. Jessica Husband singled, Emilee Cernosek walked and Hornberger singled to load the bases. After Nikki Whitehead drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk, Riley Garrett lifted a deep ball to the right-field corner that ended up as a three-run error. Hornberger shut down the Seahawks in order in the seventh to preserve the win.
Lamar-PA again jumped out to a lead in the nightcap, scoring four runs in three innings, with Briana White adding a solo homer.
Again, the Lady ‘Runners rallied. In the bottom of the fourth, Garrett drew a leadoff walk, Rachel Agnello reached on an error and Nikki Gonzales filled the bags with a long single to left. Reygan White’s walk brought home AC’s first run, and Kohring followed with a two-run double. Jessica Husband’s RBI groundout tied the game at 4-4, and after Cernosek’s infield single, Hornberger drove a single through the left side for a 5-4 AC lead.
The Lady ‘Runners tacked on four more in the fifth: Gonzales singled, White doubled and Husband reached on a two-run error. Another single from Cernosek preceded Hornberger’s RBI double, and Whitehead added run-scoring single for a 9-5 AC lead.
AC would tack on three more runs later, with Kohring adding her second homer of the night, for the 12-8 win.
The Lady Roadrunners are scheduled to take part in the Regional Crossover Tournament in Longview starting on Friday and ending on Sunday. AC’s next scheduled home stand is on Wednesday, March 7 against San Jacinto College.