ABILENE, Texas – For the first time in school history, McMurry University's softball team took the field for intercollegiate competition, facing off versus Trinity University in its program opener. The War Hawks (0-2) were swept by the visiting Tigers (2-0), 6-5 in eight innings and 7-4 in the nightcap, in front of a crowd of 365 at Red Bud Park.
 
For the historically inclined, the McM softball program was officially launched at 3:01 p.m., when War Hawks' starting pitcher delivered a strike to TU's Rylie Goldwait.  Trinity pushed across a single run in the top of the first inning.
 
In the bottom half of the frame – and in the first-ever at-bat by the McM team – McMurry answered the Tigers. Leadoff hitter Ashley McClellan singled to right for the first hit in school history and was sacrificed to second. Junior Rachel Ripley ripped a double a double down the rightfield line to plate McClellan, 1-1.
 
Trinity added two more runs in the top of the second. The visitors held the 3-1 cushion until the bottom of the fifth, when Sarah Nagy drew a pinch walk and eventually scored an unearned run thanks to a TU error. In the bottom of the sixth, another unearned run allowed then War Hawks to knot matters at 3-3.
 
In the top of the seventh, things looked bleak for McM after Trinity tallied a pair of runs. But the resilient War Hawks clawed back again.  With one out, Nina Hernandez was hit by a pitch and went to third after a Summer Quiroga double. Courtney Owen then hit a lazy grounder to third, slow enough to permit Hernandez to slide home to make it 5-4.  Adrienne Nairn's RBI single to right once again knotted the score, 5-5, and send the contest into extra innings.
 
But a sloppy top of the eighth allowed the Tigers to retake the lead, 6-5. The War Hawks committed three errors in the game, all in the Trinity half of the eighth. McM made it interesting with two out in their at-bat. With two out, Avery McDaniel singled to center and took second on a wild pitch.  With the potential tying run in scoring position, Ripley slugged a fly out to deep center for the final out.
 
McClellan went 2-for-5 with an RBI at the top of the batting order. McDaniel, batting second, was 2-for-4 with an RBI, as well.
 
Cheyenne West was the losing pitcher for McMurry. West went all eight innings in the circle, walking two and striking out two.
 
In the second game, Trinity tagged War Hawks starting pitcher Crystal Peebles for seven runs – four earned – and seven hits. Peebles was chased after two innings, with McM head coach David McNally summoning Kamwren Jackson to come on in relief.
 
Jackson responded in a big way. Jackson gave McNally five shutout innings, allowing just two hits. She also struck out two Tiger batters.
 
After out-hitting McMurry 13-8 in the opener, TU rolled up nine hits in the second (compared to five by McM).  Ripley had an RBI triple in the third inning as McMurry's only extra-base hit.