KINGSVILLE, Texas – With two outs in the bottom of the 12th and the No. 12 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team down to its last out, sophomore Matisen Onofrei (Mesa, Ariz.) lifted a two-run homer to left for a walk-off 3-2 victory over the No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions, who had won game one of Sunday's doubleheader, 1-0, in Lone Star Conference action at Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field in Kingsville, Texas.
"The kids battled all day long," said coach Craig Nicholson, "and Commerce got a big swing in the top of the 12. I knew we had the right part of our lineup up to get it back or maybe get two. We got a couple big swings and everybody goes home happy."
GAME ONE
Both teams spent game one trying to solve the opposing team's starting pitcher, but the Lions broke the ice quickly with a first-inning run that proved to the be difference. With two outs, Mackenzie Dugi fell behind in the count 0-2, but worked out a walk and Alyssa LeBlanc then stroked a double into right-center that brought in Dugi with what would be the contest's only run.
Javelina pitcher Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) maintained control for the rest of the game, striking out 10 while allowing only three hits and one walk. Twice the Lions put a runner in scoring position in the late innings, but Castillo stranded both runners to keep her team in the game.
Unfortunately for Castillo and her teammates, A&M-C's Emily Otto was a little better on this day. She stranded two runners in the first inning and benefitted earlier in that frame when junior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) was thrown out trying to steal second. Otto's fielders also turned an Anastasia Leibas (Del Valle, Texas) line drive into a double play in the fourth.
The best chance for TAMUK to even the score came in the sixth when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Otto induced a foul popup from Onofrei that ended the home team's last threat.
GAME TWO
The second game wasn't much different from the first, but in this instance it was LeBlanc dueling TAMUK's Lizette Del Angel (Calallen, Texas). Del Angel retired the side in order in the first two innings, but the Lions used two third-inning singles sandwiched around a sacrifice to put the game's first run on the board.
That slim lead slipped away from LeBlanc in the fourth, as a Makenzie Mays (Conroe, Texas) single and a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position for Kelly, who dunked a hit into center that allowed Mays to scamper home. After that, both pitchers took over.
From the fifth inning until the 12th, LeBlanc and Del Angel put up nothing but zeroes and stranded numerous runner on base. Del Angel would end up tying a program record by throwing 12 innings, scattering 10 hits and striking out six.
A LeBlanc long ball broke the tie in the top of the 12th, but also set the stage for Onofrei's heroics. Leibas reached with a two-out single to bring up the Javelina catcher and she tagged the first pitch she saw to left for the game-winning dinger.
The Javelinas' next opportunity comes on Friday, when they'll be in Lubbock, Texas for a doubleheader against Lubbock Christian that will begin at 2 p.m. Stay current with Javelina softball by following @TAMUKSB and @JavelinaSports on both Twitter and Instagram, liking the Javelina Sports Facebook page, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com. Watch your Javelinas live today on the Javelina Sports Network sponsored by Mendoza's Pharmacy.
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