ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Sophomore Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) spun a complete game two-hitter and sophomore Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) drilled her third home run of the season as the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team topped the Ouachita Baptist Tigers on Friday morning in Arkadelphia, Ark. at Sully Anderson Field on day one of the McGhee Hawkins Invitational. The Javelinas suffered their first loss of the season in the second game of the day, falling 8-1 to the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws.
TAMUK vs. Ouachita Baptist
The Javs started the day with a single and a walk to bring up junior Anastasia Leibas (Del Valle, Texas). She drove the second single of the inning into left to tally the game's first run and sophomore Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas) made the score 2-0 three batters later, coming home on a groundout.
Onofrei upped the TAMUK advantage to 4-0 in the third, crushing a two-run dinger to left and an RBI single off the bat of junior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) in fourth tacked on one more.
The only bit of life Castillo allowed the OBU offense came in the fifth, when Jillian Jones led off the frame with a homer, but that was the only inning in which anyone reached base for the Tigers. TAMUK's right-hander retired the side in order in six of her seven innings, struck out nine and collected her second complete game. Another RBI single from Kelly in the sixth closed out the scoring.
TAMUK vs. Mississippi College
It didn't take long for the Lady Choctaws got on the scoreboard and they would tally single runs in each of the first two inning. A wild pitch scored Shayla Mckissock in the first and Jordan LaFosse added a solo homer in the second for a 2-0 edge.
Kelly got TAMUK on the board in the third by singling, stealing second and touching home on an error, but another solo shot and a sacrifice fly sent in two more runs for MC in the fourth and they continued adding to their lead in the form of two-spots in both the fifth and seventh innings.
Hannah Creel kept the Javelina lineup in check throughout the afternoon and kept them off the scoreboard after Kelly's unearned run in the third. She would allow only four hits without issuing a walk and striking out three while throwing a complete game.
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