March 4, 2023

Waxahachie, TX – On Saturday morning at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas, the Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Lady Lions softball team faced the Central Christian College (CCC) Tigers in a doubleheader for their first Sooner Athletics Conference (SAC) contest of the 2023 season.

Game 1:

Trista Ford had a great start to the day for the Lady Lions, striking out the opening hitter for Central Christian with scorching fast deliveries. Due to hits by Sasha Jennings, Candence Hopgood, and Brooke Kinnibrugh in the bottom of the first inning, the Lady Lions were able to register scores. Both Brooke Kinnibrugh and Candence Hopgood collected early RBIs.

McKenzie Schulze doubled and brought home two SAGU runners in the bottom of the fourth when she blasted a pitch from Central Christian to left field.

Airiana Magdaleno completed an elite defensive double play to secure the 5-1 SAGU victory. Trista Ford pitched six innings, allowing only one hit against Central Christian while striking out four hitters.

Game 2:

After a ring ceremony celebrating the Lady Lions 2022 NCCAA Softball Championship squad, the second game versus Central Christian to complete the doubleheader commenced. 

Annie Charanza began the second contest on the mound for SAGU. 

The second game of the day was a low-scoring battle in which both teams from the Sooner Athletic Conference made outstanding defensive efforts to stop their opponents from getting to home plate.

The bottom of the seventh inning ended with a score of 0-0 after McKenzie Schulze, Sasha Jennings, and Candence Hopgood each managed to get hits but could not bring in a runner.

Trista Ford delivered a key strikeout for the Lady Lions with a Tiger runner on third base, restarting the scoring opportunity for SAGU while the game remained scoreless. Sasha Jennings' remarkable diving grab in the top of the ninth inning secured the Lady Lions' last out and gave them another scoring opportunity with the game knotted at zero.

The first RBI of the game was recorded by McKenzie Schulze, who also completed the Lady Lions' sweeping of the day with a blast into right field. The SAGU Lady Lions would win 1-0.

Watty's Word

"Great first conference home games! The pitching was great and the bats came through for the doubleheader sweep," head SAGU softball coach Watty Watson said.

The Next Step 

On Sunday, March 5th, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) will face Central Christian College in Waxahachie, TX in a doubleheader SAC matchup. 

As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community. We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service. Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.