KINGSVILLE, Texas – Seniors Rachael Longoria (Hutto, Texas) and Haley Boyett (Waco, Texas) each totaled three hits and junior Roxy Chapa (McAllen, Texas) belted her program-best 12th home run of the season, leading the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team to a doubleheader sweep of the No. 11 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs on Saturday afternoon at Hubert Field in Kingsville, Texas.
Kingsville's overall mark now stands at 26-24 and they're 13-14 in Lone Star Conference play. These two wins put TAMUK just one-and-a-half games behind Texas Woman's University for the final spot in the LSC Tournament with one week to play. WT falls to 35-8 and 18-6 in the league.
This marks the first time since 2007 the Javelina swept a doubleheader from the Lady Buffs and the first time since 2005 they've taken both ends of a twin bill from a ranked team.
GAME ONE
West Texas got on the board first thanks to a solo homer by Shanna McBroom in the second, but the Javs answered one inning later on a sacrifice fly by junior Victoria Schoonard-Saborio (Elk Grove, Calif.). In the fourth, Chapa drilled her record-breaking homer over the wall in left-center and Longoria pushed across another run with an RBI double, providing senior Sarah Gilbert (11-8) (Chipley, Fla.) with a 3-1 lead.
The Lady Buffs would not be vanquished so easily, however. The best home run hitting team in the nation tied the score on Kylee Moore's two-run blast, but that tie would be short-lived.
In the sixth, TAMUK crafted a rally that would put the game out of reach. Longoria and Boyett lit the spark with singles and a bunt base hit by junior Arabella Acosta-Cantu (Corpus Christi, Texas) loaded the bases for freshman Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas). Kelly's infield single scored Longoria with the go-ahead run and the Javelinas then proceeded to add insurance. The second run of the inning scored on a groundout by Schoonard-Saborio and two more runs tallied on a wild pitch by Stevie McLemore (3-3). One run in the seventh was all WT could muster before Gilbert sealed the deal.
GAME TWO
Neither team could break a scoreless tie in the early innings of the second game before a few late runs led to a dramatic finish.
Sophomore Breanna Smith (15-14) (San Antonio, Texas) and Kilee Hilbert (17-6) dueled for the second straight day and, once again, each side had opportunities through the first four frames, but couldn't dent home plate. Heading into the fifth, the teams had totaled 14 baserunners but zero runs.
In the top of the fifth, a two-run Ashley Hardin homer sent West Texas in front, but the Javelinas had a response. It came in the form of a two-out rally that began when junior Lauren Oatman (Fort Worth, Texas) worked a walk. Longoria then provided a single and when Boyett followed with another safety, which was then booted by Hardin in center, both runners found the plate to tie the score.
The sixth inning passed without incident, as did the top of the seventh, but in the bottom of the seventh, the Javelinas got the chance they needed to win the game, courtesy of two of their seniors. Longoria hit a grounder to the mound that Hilbert bobbled and threw away, putting Kingsville's third baseman on second. When Boyett attempted to sacrifice Longoria to third, another WT error allowed Longoria to race across with the winning run.
The last series of the regular season sends the Javelinas on the road for four games with the Western New Mexico Mustangs. The series begins on Friday afternoon. 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.
