The Howard Payne Lady Jackets returned home for the first time in several weeks on Tuesday, March 24th, hosting the University of Dallas in a doubleheader at Lady Jacket Park. Despite dropping both contests, the Lady Jackets showed flashes of strong play and continued to compete throughout the day.

In game one, Howard Payne fell just short in a 4-3 battle. The Lady Jackets stayed within striking distance the entire way, even taking a 3-2 lead midway through the game. Siannah Nava led the offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, while also setting the tone early at the top of the lineup. Kenedi Holly provided a spark off the bench, finishing with a hit, a run scored, and a stolen base. Abeni Nava added pressure on the basepaths with a run scored and a stolen base of her own.

In the circle, Alyssa Silva delivered a complete-game effort, allowing four runs on eight hits while keeping the Lady Jackets in position to compete late into the game.

Game two saw the Lady Jackets fall 5-2, but again showed moments of solid execution. Howard Payne answered early with a two-run second inning, highlighted by contributions from Kylee Watson and Madison Schroeder, who both recorded hits and runs scored. McKeanne Saenz drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, while Colbi Goodwin stayed consistent at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance.

Additional offensive highlights included Brianna Warriner, who recorded a triple, and Makayla Dunn, who added a hit and a stolen base. The Lady Jackets collected six hits as a team and continued to apply pressure offensively throughout the game.

Ava Aviles led the way in the circle in game two, pitching into the seventh inning and working through multiple tough situations against a Dallas lineup that tallied 12 hits.

While the results did not fall in their favor, the Lady Jackets showed resilience and competitiveness throughout both games, continuing to build experience as the season progresses.

Head coach Bianca Gonzales said, "I thought we competed really well throughout the day. We had some great individual performances and put ourselves in position in both games, especially in the first one. It's about continuing to clean up the small things and learning how to finish in those key moments. I'm proud of the effort and the fight this group continues to show, and we're going to keep building on that as we move forward."

Lady Jackets will return to action next Tuesday against Austin College for a doubleheader at home.