Photo of head coach Melissa Mojica by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
SAN ANTONIO, Texas–Tuesday afternoon was memorable for multiple reasons as the UMHB softball team swept Trinity (TX) in a road doubleheader.
Headlining the afternoon was head coach Melissa Mojica’s 100th win of her career, as UMHB took game one, 8-0, followed by a 2-1 victory in game two. Mojica, who is in her fourth season at the helm of the program, has led The Cru to consecutive seasons of 30 wins or more, and is 100-46 overall.
Notably, this makes Mojica the fastest coach in UMHB softball’s D-III history to reach 100 wins.
By comparison, it took Larry Hennig, her predecessor, 159 games to reach the 100-win mark, as he accomplished the feat midway through his fourth season in 2014. Kasey Blomquist, the only other UMHB head coach to have crossed the 100-win plateau, did so in 167 games.
Adding to the significance of the afternoon’s sweep was Chloee Mason’s outstanding performance in the circle, as the Joaquin, Texas native picked up her second win of the year in game two. She tossed seven innings with just one hit allowed, keeping the Tiger bats at bay for the majority of the 2-1 win.
She allowed a total of just two baserunners and one earned run, as Trinity pinch hitter Sydney Boudreaux singled down the right field line in the seventh inning, scoring Ella Whitacre. The Tigers did not put a runner on base until a seventh-inning walk.
Mason’s strong performance followed up on a complete-game shutout from starter Eiliegh Whyte in game one. Whyte, who has a 4-3 record this season, allowed five hits but did not surrender a run nor walk a batter. She struck out four batters in the five-inning duel.
Tori Skinner was key to UMHB’s 8-0 victory in game one, going 1-for-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs. Allyse Castillo also tallied 2 RBis, with a sac fly in the first inning and a groundout in the third that scored Shorey Nguyen. Madeline Stephenson and Bralyn Belk each recorded a double in the win, with Stephenson’s extra-base hit to right center field scoring Lindsey Polleschultz for a 6-0 lead.
Six different players were responsible for UMHB’s six hits in game two, with Stephenson and Gabriela Vela each tallying an RBI. In the fourth inning, Stephenson singled to left center field, scoring Taylor Henken for a 1-0 lead. And in the fifth, Vela, a pinch hitter, sent a base hit through the right side of the infield that allowed Kyler Sanders to cross the plate.
Game Notes
- Tuesday’s victories were also made notable by the fact that Trinity was 11-5 entering the doubleheader, and 3-0 in SCAC play. UMHB has now won the last six meetings against Trinity in San Antonio.
- Trinity’s last home win over UMHB came on April 7, 2015.
- Taylor Henken scored three runs in the doubleheader sweep, and was the only Crusader to score at least once in both of Tuesday’s games.
- Henken leads The Cru in runs scored, with 10.
- UMHB won consecutive games for the third time this season and for the first time in a true road game setting.
- Mason’s one-hitter was the fewest hits allowed by a UMHB pitcher in a single game since May 13, 2023, when Grason Long fired a no-hitter against McMurry. That is a span of 19 games.
- Bralyn Belk went 2-for-2 at the plate in game one, marking her third multi-hit game of 2024 and the fourth of her career.
- Lindsey Polleschultz and Madeline Stephenson were the only Crusaders with at least one hit in each of UMHB’s two wins on Tuesday.
Up Next
American Southwest Conference play resumes for UMHB this weekend in Belton, as The Cru hosts Howard Payne (7-5) in a three-game series. Friday’s doubleheader begins at 2:00 p.m. followed by the 2 p.m. series finale on Saturday.
