HUNTSVILLE, Texas (February 14, 2020)
 
In Short
In its first day at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas, the Loyola University Chicago softball team split a pair of games. The Ramblers defeated George Mason, 1-0 before falling to Houston Baptist, 9-2. Loyola moves to 4-3 overall.
 
How It Happened
 
Game One: Loyola 1, George Mason 0
Loyola was led by the pitching of junior Sydney Ruggles in their victory over George Mason. The first six innings were quiet for both teams, but Ruggles pitched all seven innings, only allowing six hits and two walks. The sophomore now boasts a 1.47 ERA this season.
 
Jessica Shields, who is leading the Ramblers with a .571 batting average, notched a double in the bottom of the sixth inning. After Madison Ebeling grounded out to third base, Shields was able to advance to third. Allyson Ivey came up to bat and drilled a single to third base, bringing Shields in to score. Ruggles threw two strikeouts in the seventh inning to lead the Ramblers to victory.
 
Game Two: Houston Baptist 9, Loyola 2
Shields hit a second double into left field against Houston Baptist, helping the Ramblers gain momentum in the bottom of the fourth. After Shannon McGee was hit by a pitch, Shields was left on second. Katie Polaski came up and cranked a double to center field to bring in Shields and McGee for an early 2-0 lead.
 
Quick to answer, Houston Baptist recorded two runs in the top of the fifth. In the top of the sixth, Loyola made three errors and the Huskies ended up scoring six straight runs. The Huskies scored yet another in the top of the seventh to complete the 9-2 win.
 
A Look At The Numbers
- Senior Jessica Shields led the Ramblers in batting average in both games, batting .571 on 2-3 hitting against George Mason and batting .519 on 1-3 hitting against Houston Baptist.
- Junior Allyson Ivey went 1-2 with a .412 average against George Mason.
- Junior Katie Polaski doubled against Houston Baptist, tallying two RBI. 
- Sophomore Sydney Ruggles pitched all seven innings, only allowing six hits and two walks. She now boasts a 1.47 ERA this season and is 3-0.
 
Up Next: Loyola continues competition in the Bearkat Classic with a re-match against George Mason at 10 a.m. tomorrow and a match-up with tournament host Sam Houston State at 2:30 p.m.