COMMERCE, Texas – The No. 12 Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team scored 11 total runs in two fifth-inning rallies on their way to a doubleheader sweep of the No. 9 Texas A&M-Commerce Lions by scores of 6-4 and 7-1 in Lone Star Conference action on Sunday afternoon at the John Cain Family Softball Complex in Commerce, Texas.
The ninth-ranked Lions are the highest-ranked team the Javelinas have swept in a doubleheader since they took two from then-No. 9 West Texas A&M on March 30th, 2019. It also marks the first time TAMUK has swept a twin in Commerce, a place where the Blue and Gold had never won a game prior to Sunday.
The Javs finish this road trip with a 3-1 record, they've now won nine of their last 10 and are 33-6 overall and 15-5 in the LSC, just a game out of first place. The Lions are 16-4 in league play and 31-9 on the season
"I thought we did really good job of battling offensively and making some adjustments," said coach Craig Nicholson, "and the pitching staff was solid again today. I asked them before we left on Thursday to stay in the fight no matter what happens and I'm proud of the way they did that all weekend."
GAME ONE
The Lions broke on top first thanks to a pair of solo homers in the second and they tacked on one more with an Alyssa LeBlanc round-tripper in the fourth to make the score 3-0.
One half-inning after LeBlanc's dinger, the Javelina lineup came to life and put together their first big rally of the day. Two singles sandwiched around a walk loaded the bases with one out and brought up freshman Rylee Oborski (Salado, Texas), who punched a RBI single through the left side to tally her team's first run. Senior Jennifer Giesey (Crystal Lake, Ill.) then tied the game by lofting a double into right-center that scored Natalie Rodriguez (Edinburg, Texas) and Sydney Christopher (Saginaw, Texas).
The hit that gave TAMUK the lead came one batter later when senior Loren Kelly (Rockport, Texas) blooped a single into right and an insurance run came across on a groundout by junior Jory Cervantes (Pflugerville, Texas). Senior Kaylee Dietrich (Phoenix, Ariz.) boosted the Javs lead to 6-3 when she drilled a solo homer in the sixth.
The responsibility of holding the lead fell to sophomore Lizette del Angel (Robstown, Texas) and she fired four innings of one-hit ball to pick up her sixth victory. The Lions threatened in sixth thanks to another solo shot, along with two walks a passed ball that put the tying runs in scoring position, but Del Angel escaped the jam and retired the side in order in the seventh to complete the first half of the sweep.
GAME TWO
Once again, it was the home team that got on the scoreboard first when they turned two singles a sacrifice and a sacrifice fly into a 1-0 advantage. Lion started Emily held that lead for four innings just one hit until the fifth.
For a second straight game, the fifth is when Nicholson's lineup went to work. With two on and two out, Cervantes served a hit into left that brought home both runners and put the Blue and Gold on top. The next hitter was sophomore Kayla Gonzales (San Antonio, Texas) and she smashed a two-run homer to left-center that made the score 4-1.
Onofrei kept the rally going with a double and Ortiz cashed in on the opportunity with a two-bagger of her own. The sixth and final run of the frame came in on wild pitch, putting the visitors ahead by five. Gonzales provided an insurance run with her second long ball of the day in the seventh.
After giving up a run in the first, junior Saidi Castillo (Kingsville, Texas) kept TAMUC's offense in check for the rest of the afternoon. The Lions managed just two singles off Castillo over the final six frames and the TAMUK right-hander retired 11 of the last 12 batters she faced. She ended the by striking out the side in the seventh, giving her seven punchouts on the day.
The Javelinas will try to keep this momentum going when they're back at home on Friday for a doubleheader against Lubbock Christian. 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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