GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Thomas University softball team's run in the Gulf Coast Invitational came to a close this afternoon falling to No. 18 University of Houston-Victoria in a 14-10 slugfest.
 
The Lady Jaguars scored a least one run in the first five innings of the contest.  UHV stormed out to the 5-0 advantage in the first inning ending Thomas' starting pitcher Ashley Sikes' day.  The Lady Night Hawks would respond in the bottom of the first to cut UHV's lead to 5-2.  Both Michael Cooper and Rachel Hoeft walked to put runners on first and second.  With two outs in the inning, first baseman Carmen Nadal launched a single down the left field line to drive in the first two runs of the game for Thomas.
 
Houston-Victoria widened the gap to 9-2 scoring four more runs, two in the second and two in the third.  In the bottom of the third, the Lady Night Hawks scored their third run of the game on back-to-back doubles by Chandler Seay and Cooper.
 
The slugfest continued for the Lady Jaguars as they scored five more insurance runs over the next two innings to take the 14-3 lead. 
 
Down by nine, the Lady Night Hawks forged the beginning of a rally that would plate seven runs over the next two innings. Notably, freshman Kelsey Connolly hit a three-run homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the fifth.  This shot was Connolly's sixth of the season.
 
TU's rally, which cut UHV's lead to 14-10, fell short in the bottom of the seventh as the Lady Night Hawks were shut down by closer Madison Garza.
 
UHV's Savannah Crittenden picked up the win while TU's Sikes (8-4) was credited with the loss.
 
Thomas falls to 18-7 on the year while Houston-Victoria improves to 16-6.
 
The Lady Night Hawks return to action on Fri., March 13, when they travel to Brunswick, Ga., to face Coastal Georgia in a two-game set.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. with game two beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
 
For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories of your TU softball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksSoftb.