CANYON, Texas (Softball) –
Rachael Longoria hit two home runs with four RBI Friday night but Texas A&M-Kingsville (13-16, 5-9 LSC) dropped both games to No. 2 West Texas A&M (31-6, 15-3 LSC) at Schaeffer Park. The Lady Buffs took the first contest 9-4 and won the night cap 13-2 in five innings.
Both
Isabel Flores and
Valerie Ramirez had two hits apiece in the twinbill. Flores recorded two singles while Ramirez posted a homer and a triple.
Suffering the defeats were
Bella Rosas (3-5) and
Karri Smith (5-8). The Lady Buffs' Kilee Halbert (5-0) and Rita Hokianga (13-4) earn the victories while Tori Bayer picked up fifth save of the season.
Game 1WT scored a run in the first when Lacey Taylor sent a single back up the middle with two outs.
Carlie Clark kept the Lady Buffs off balance over the next three innings that including striking out the side in the second. The defending national champions could only muster a hit during that span.
In the top of the 5th, Clark led off the inning and was hit by a pitch that forced her to leave the game.
Myrissa Sanchez reached base on a fielder's choice and
Haley Boyett then drew a walk to put two on base. A 1-0 offering to Longoria was sent over the left field fence for a three-run bomb and a two run TAMUK advantage.
WT responded by scoring nine straight runs with three coming in the fifth and six in the sixth.
Corinne Brassell started the top of the seventh with an infield single that fell short of second base thanks to the Lady Buffs' second baseman and shortstop avoided running into each. Boyett followed by moving her into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Ramirez hit a RBI triple to right field when Renee Erwin, the Lone Star Conference's preseason player of the year, dove and missed the ball for the final run of the game.
Longoria paced TAMUK at the plate by going 2-for-3. Also recording a base knock was Brassell, Clark, Flores and Ramirez.
In the circle, Clark started the game and threw four innings with five strikeouts. She held the defending national champions to two hits and a run. Rosas tossed the final two frames and allowed eight runs on six hits with a strikeout.
Erwin and Taylor led WT with two base hits apiece. Driving in a team-high two runs was Ashley Hardin and Erwin.
Halbert picked up the win by going five innings with five strikeouts. She also gave up three runs on four hits and three walks. Bayer earned the save coming in with the go-ahead run at the plate in the top of the sixth and pitching the final two frames.
Game 2Longoria put the Blue and Gold up 1-0 in the first when she sent a 3-1 offering over the fence in left.
The Lady Buffs answered back with four runs in the bottom of the inning that saw Taylor drive in three with a bases clearing double. The hosts added three more in the next frame to go up 7-1.
Ramirez cut TAMUK's deficit to five with a solo blast to left center, which was her team leading fourth home run of the season.
A six spot was put up on the scoreboard by the Lady Buffs in the fourth. All of their runs come on homers, a two-run dinger and grand slam.
Longoria recorded her second 2-for-3 performance with the bat of the day to pace TAMUK. Also coming away with a hit was
Loren Donaldson, Flores, Ramirez and Smith.
Going the distance for the 11 time this year was Smith. She struck out five but gave up 13 runs on 10 hits in four innings.
WT saw Taylor drive in five runs and Brittany Gehle plate four. Hokianga recorded six strikeouts in five innings of work on the rubber.
The two teams conclude the series tomorrow afternoon with another doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
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