BULLARD — Tyler Junior College’s first-year softball program has opened up some eyes nationwide, sporting a No. 14 ranking in the first NJCAA Softball polls released this past week.

On Monday afternoon, the Apaches proved their worth while also moving to 3-1 in conference play by sweeping Trinity Valley 1-0 and 9-5, at Schwab Field on the Brook Hill School campus.

The Apaches will entertain Bossier Parish Community College at 1 p.m. today in another conference doubleheader at Schwab Field.

 

Tyler 1, Trinity Valley 0

Game one was a pitcher’s duel between Chapel Hill’s Halie Vance for TJC and Darci Griffen of Frisco for the Cardinals.

It needed a squeeze bunt to determine the victor as the Apache Ladies won with Vance finishing with five strikeouts while allowing three hits and two walks.

Griffen was equally impressive, allowing just four hits with one strikeout.

A one out walk to TJC’s Jaclyn Molenaar got things going in the bottom of the seventh. Halle Sabo followed with a single to put runners at the corners.

Apache catcher, Amber Landry from Ponchitula, LA., then executed a perfect squeeze bunt to score Molenaar, who beat the throw to the plate.

 

Tyler 9, Trinity Valley 5

Trinity Valley jumped out to a 3-0 lead after its first at-bat, as two TJC errors aided RBI-singles from Kathryn Wright and Kayla Diaz.

TJC battled back with single runs in the first, third and fourth innings, for a 3-3 tie. The Apache Ladies took the lead in the fifth as Lacie Stevens drove in Molenaar with a two-run homer over the left field fence to make it 5-3.

Amber Landry then singled and scored on one of three Cardinal errors for a 6-3 Tyler advantage after five innings.

Molenaar walked to start the sixth inning, and Stevens belted her second double of the game, just before Sabo laced a two-RBI single to plate two more runs.

Sabo then scored the final run on a sacrifice out, off the bat of Marina Duran from Chino, CA.

Ashlin Roach from Hughes Springs added a double and two hits for the Apaches, while Molenaar and Brittni Whitten from Roseville, CA., had two hits apiece in the win.

Stevens finished up 3-for-3, with two doubles, the two-run dinger, scoring two runs, and knocking in three.

Bullard’s Coco Springer came on in relief in the fifth inning and got a big out with the bases juiced to avoid any further damage by the Cardinals after Angelica Navarro scored on one of three TJC miscues. Springer ended up the winning pitcher.

Navarro was 3-for-3 and scored twice for TVCC while teammate, Nicole Parnell was 2-for-3, and a run scored in the nine-hole for the Cardinals.

 

Game 1

Tyler Junior College 1, Trinity Valley CC 0

TVCC000 000 0 — 0 31

TJC 000 001 x —1 42

Darci Griffen and Kathryn Wright. Halie Vance and Amber Landry. W – Vance. L – Griffen. DP – TVCC 2, TJC 1. LOB – TVCC: 3. TJC: 6.

RECORDS – TVCC 14-13; 2-1. TJC 22-7, 2-1.

 

Game 2

Tyler Junior College 9, Trinity Valley CC 5

TVCC 300 011 0 —5 103

TJC 101 133 x —9 133

Samantha Sevier, Darci Griffen (5), Angela Minjarez (6), Jasmine Alcazar and Kathryn Wright. Halle Sabo, Coco Springer (5), Halle Vance (6), and Amber Landry. W – -Coco Springer. L – Darci Griffen. S – Halie Vance. 2B – TJC: Lacie Stevens 2, Hayley Mills, Ashlin Roach, Halie Sabo. HR- TJC: Steven (one on, 5th inning). SAC- TJC: Jacyln Molenaar, Marina Duran. DP – TVCC 1. LOB – TVCC: 9. TJC: 7.

RECORDS – TVCC 14-14; 2-2. TJC 23-7; 3-1.

NEXT UP – Bossier Parish CC at Tyler Junior College, Tues., DH, 1 p.m. at Brook Hill.