TUCSON, Ariz. – After a lead slipped away in the bottom of the seventh, junior Anastasia Leibas (Del Valle, Texas) delivered a clutch, RBI single in the top of the eighth and the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team held on for a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Mesa Mavericks on Saturday afternoon at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz. The Javs dropped their second game of the day, 9-1, to the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans. The Javelinas now own a record of 10-4.

TAMUK vs. Colorado Mesa

Neither team scored an earned run and the Javelinas and Mavericks couldn't push across more than one runner in any inning as sophomore Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) dueled with CMU's Shea Mauser.

The Mavericks utilized a Javelina error in the second to put up the first run of the day, but two CMU errors put sophomore Amber Reyes (Edinburg, Texas) and junior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) on base in the third. Both players moved up on a double steal and Reyes tied the game by scoring on a wild pitch.

Following a scoreless fourth, Kelly got on via another Maverick miscue and again swiped second. The second CMU error of the frame put her on third and Leibas lifted a sacrifice fly to center that brought in the go-ahead run.

Castillo, who allowed only four hits and struck out six, kept her team in front until the seventh. Brooke Doumer started the inning with single and a sacrifice pushed her to second. After TAMUK's second error of the day allowed her to scurry to third, a sacrifice fly brought Doumer to the plate to even things at 2-2.

Leibas quickly broke the tie and put the Javs back in front. With Kelly placed on second to start the extra frame, Leibas came up with one out and poked a single into right to bring in the go-ahead run. Castillo then stranded a pair in the bottom of the frame and locked up her fifth win.

TAMUK vs. Hawaii-Hilo

The Vulcans took advantage of four Javelina errors in the second inning to put up a six spot. With one out, the inning's first miscue followed by a single put two runners on for Skylar Thomas and her single combined with another error plated a run and put players on second and third. Chloe Domingo followed with a two-run single to center and a groundout brought in the fourth run of the frame two batters later. The final error of the second led to two more runs for UHH and a 6-0 advantage.

Sophomore Yvonne Castillo (Leander, Texas) plated the only Javelina run with an RBI single in TAMUK's half of the second, but a two-run dinger in the fourth moved the Vulcans' edge out to seven. Castillo's single was the last hit allowed by the UHH starter, Valarie Alvarado, who held the Blue and Gold to three singles over five frames.

The game's final run was scored in the fifth, when a single and a walk brought up Domingo with one out. She sent her second hit of the day through the left side for her third RBI and a 9-1 advantage. Alvarado retired the side in order in the fifth to wrap up the game.

One more day and one more game in Tucson remain for the Javelinas, who will take on Fort Lewis on Sunday at 10 a.m. Stay current with Javelina softball throughout the 2020 season by following @TAMUKSB on Twitter, @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, like Javelina Sports on Facebook and subscribe to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.