Softball Recap: Austin Comes Up Short

If Austin was riding high fresh off their 14-3 takedown of Bowie last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Austin fell 10-7 to the Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy Warriors on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Warriors this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 18-3 back in February.

Ruby Salazar spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and five unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up ten Ks. She also put up five walks, which were her first of the season.

At the plate, Aubrey Hernandez was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Aileen Montero, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.

Panthers

Hits

03/25/25 vs Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy	11
03/21/25 @ Bowie	1
03/07/25 @ Anthony	6
03/04/25 vs Clint	9
03/01/25 @ Santa Teresa	2
+ 6 more games

Hernandez wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Austin kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.

Austin's loss was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 8-11. That patch can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy, they now have a winning record of 3-2.

Coming up, Austin is taking a road trip to take on Irvin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Irvin has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 16.65 runs per game on average), something Austin will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Ysleta at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Young Women's STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy's pitchers better be ready for this one: Ysleta has averaged an impressive 8.9 runs per game this season.