Schreiner University’s softball team got a crucial tuneup victory before heading to Seguin this week for its Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference opener against defending champs Texas Lutheran — the No. 4-ranked team in the nation.
Against visiting Concordia on Monday night, the Mountaineers got down early 1-0, but Danielle Pedraza’s power provided a lift for Schreiner. Pedraza, a senior from San Antonio, hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning to give the Mountaineers a 3-1 lead.
In the at-bat, the right-handed Pedraza drove a pitch over the left-field fence, but it drifted foul. Pedraza crushed a pitch to right-center two pitches later to score teammates Malorie Solis and Rylee Ohlhausen.
The home run was Pedraza’s third of the season — equaling her career output before the 2023 season. Pedraza is hitting .400 this season, with 16 RBI and 11 runs scored. Pedraza finished Monday night with five RBI.
The Mountaineers received another strong pitching performance from first-year player Kylnne Kusack, who earned her fourth win on the season after pitching 4-1/3 innings. Kusack didn’t overpower anyone, but she spread the ball to the defense, which overcame some shaky efforts in the early innings.
The Mountaineers are now 6-9 and face Texas Lutheran in a three-game series starting Saturday afternoon. Texas Lutheran finished second in last year’s NCAA Division III tournament, but the Bulldogs return almost all their pitchers from last year’s team.
