COMMERCE, Texas – Two dramatic home runs by junior Victoria Schoonard-Saborio were overshadowed by late inning heroics from the No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions, who defeated the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team twice on walk-off homers on Saturday by scores of 7-6 and 4-3 in Commerce, Texas at John Cain Family Softball Complex.
The Javelinas have now fallen to 17-18 on the season and their record in the Lone Star Conference is 7-11. Commerce has won 12 straight for a record of 28-3 and 13-2 in the LSC.
GAME ONE
After two scoreless frames from senior Sarah Gilbert (Chipley, Fla.) (7-6) and Selena Rima, Kinsie Hebler's solo shot in the third got the Lions on the board. Two batters later, Bri Sims contributed a homer of her own, this one a two-run shot and Commerce had a 3-0 lead.
In the fourth, the Javelinas flexed some muscle of their own with a pair of long balls. Junior Roxy Chapa (McAllen, Texas) started the frame by depositing a 3-2 pitch over the left-center field fence, and, with one out and the bases empty, freshman Anastasia Leibas (Del Valle, Texas) cracked a round-tripper to left, moving Kingsville to within a run.
Commerce's third round-tripper of the day came from Kimber Neal in the bottom of the fourth, making the score 4-2, but TAMUK responded with their biggest rally of the day. Junior Delila Gillespie (San Antonio, Texas) began the fifth with a pinch-hit single and freshman Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) pushed Gillespie to second with a base hit of her own. Schoonard-Saborio was up next and she blasted a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left-center, moving the Javelinas ahead 5-4. Four batters later, after a single, a walk and a deep fly ball, a fielder's choice scored junior Lindsey Angelico (San Antonio, Texas) and the Javs held a 6-4 lead after five.
That score held until the seventh, when Commerce, with two outs, awoke to steal the game. Hebler drew a walk to bring up Mariah Jameyson, and her two-run home run evened the score. Sims then ended the game with another round-tripper. Emily Otto (9-2) recorded the last nine outs to pick up the win.
GAME TWO
Commerce took a slim lead in the first inning of game one, thanks to a lead-off hit by Ciera Nunez, who took second on a wild pitch and scored on a Sims single. An RBI single by Schoonard-Saborio in the third evened the score at 1-1 and it remained frozen there until the sixth as Breanna Smith (10-11) and Katie Dean settled in in the circle.
In the penultimate frame, a lead-off triple by Monica Cherry brought up Kayla Kilcrease and her two-run homer put the Lions ahead. It was up to Dean to hold the lead, but in the top of the seventh, with two outs and one on, she had to face Schoonard-Saborio. The junior looked at one strike, then rocketed Dean's next offering over the wall in right for a game-tying homer. The Javs still had a chance to take the lead, as a single and a walk brought up Leibas, who also singled, but Chapa was cut down at the plate trying to score the go-ahead run. Jameyson ended the game in the bottom of the frame with her second homer of the day. Otto (10-2) earned the win for TAMUC.
On Thursday, Hubert Field will be the site for two games between the Javelinas and the Cameron Aggies, with game one beginning at 5:30 p.m. To keep up with the Javelinas all season long, visit Javelinaathletics.com, follow @TAMUKSB on Twitter, like /JavelinaSports on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina athletics YouTube channel.
