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Box Score 2 Glendale, Ariz.- On Saturday, the Firestorm opened their season by splitting with No. 2 College of Idaho. Sophomore Savannah Smith stood tall with the complete game win in the first game. Homers from Junior Claire Buckley and Senior Kirsten Garcia sparked the ACU offense.
Game Info
- Game one score: Arizona Christian - 6, College of Idaho - 2
- Game two score: College of Idaho - 5, Arizona Christian - 4
- Records: Arizona Christian - 1-1, College of Idaho - 2-2
- NAIA Top 25 ranking: Arizona Christian - not ranked, College of Idaho - 2
- Location: ACU Softball Field, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ
ACU Game One Stats
- Buckley - 2-4, HR
- Taylor Alto - 2-2, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBI
- Garcia - 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
- Jess Topor - pinch hit double, 2 RBI
- Smith - 7 innings pitched, 5 strikeouts, complete game win
Inside Game One
- Buckley picked up where she left off last season as she homered leading off the bottom of the first
- Alto doubled home Taylor Schleisman and Garcia homered to left to give ACU a 4-0 cushion
- That was all Smith needed as she faced the minimum three batters in five of her seven innings
- After the Yotes scored two in the fourth, Topor padded the lead with her two RBI double in the fifth
- The "W" made Coach Mayben a winner in his ACU debut
ACU Game Two Stats
Inside Game Two
- COI scored an unearned run in the first before Mo Zarate drove home Anderson with the equalizer
- A Schleisman double and a squeeze bunt by Alto plated two for ACU in the third
- Each team scored a run in the fourth (Buckley doubled home Kaitlin Terzakos)
- But the Yotes tied the game with two in the fifth and produced the game winner with a run in the seventh
- Trinity Lawson pitched 6.1 innings with six strikeouts in her collegiate debut.
Thoughts from Coach Mayben
"We are proud of the way the team came out and competed for 14 innings today. There are a lot of positives to take away. The fact that we came into the game knowing that College of Idaho is a top five opponent and played with confidence is a great way to start the season. This week we focused on competing with enthusiasm and passion. We saw that inning one with great defensive plays, and an offensive explosion. Then our entire roster continued to build on that momentum throughout the double header. We learned a lot today and recognize we have a lot of room to grow. We are all looking forward to getting back out Monday to continue to grow and make improvement through the pre-season."
Up Next
On Friday, ACU will return to the turf and host Benedictine-Mesa. First pitch will come at 1:00 pm.
