TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE 6, MINES 2
A single big inning by Texas A&M-Commerce helped them erase a Mines lead and win the morning game, 6-2.
The Javelinas (4-0) scored five runs in the sixth inning to break open a 2-1 Oredigger lead after Mines had done its damage in the third inning.
Katie Leiker continued her hot hitting going 2-for-3 with a run batted in, while
Kendall Murphy drove in Mines' first run and
Megan Dickson,
Sam Wade,
Stefanie Brunello, and
Dani Valerio also had hits.
TAMUK pushed a run across on a groundout in the first inning, but Mines earned the lead with a two-run third. Brunello beat out an infield single and stole second, then scored from there on Murphy's single. Leiker dropped a single into right on the next at-bat to score Murphy and take a 2-1 lead.
The score stayed there until the sixth when the Javelinas loaded the bases for Jackie De Los Santos, who drew a walk to tie it 2-2. Makenzie Mays then busted the game open with a bases-clearing triple, and Amber Reyes drove in another run on a groundout to lead 6-2.
Mines combined three pitchers with starter
Kylie Redding exiting in the second after allowing one run;
Claire Stringfellow surrendered two runs in the second, while
Sydney Marchando finished the game allowing three and striking out four over 5.1 innings.
Saidi Castillo picked up the win in relief for Kingsville, going 4.1 innings and striking out nine.
#9 TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE 9, MINES 1
The toughest test of the tournament awaited in the final game as #9 Texas A&M-Commerce showed its power in a 9-1 victory in the afternoon.
The Lions (5-0) scored twice in the first and second innings, then built their lead as the game went on. Mines had chances to score, stranding nine runners despite only generating four hits. TAMUC also stranded nine off seven hits.
The defending regional champs led off with Ciera Nunez's triple, and that led to two runs in the first as Nunez scored on a double-steal, and Kimber Neal came across on a passed ball later in the inning.
Mines cut the deficit in half in the bottom half, though, taking advantage of three straight plunkings - to
Clara Larson,
Boston Ludlow, and
Claire Smith - to load the bases for
Stefanie Brunello, who drew the RBI walk on five pitches. In the second, Neal's two-out, two-on single to the gap extended the lead to 4-1, and an Oredigger error in the fourth brought another run across before Madison Schaefer led off the sixth with a home run to left. The Lions put the game away in the seventh with a bases-loaded wild pitch generating one run, and Neal smacked a two-run single to the gap to lead 9-1.
Kylie Redding started and allowed one earned;
Claire Stringfellow entered in the first and struck out three allowing three earned through seven innings.
