San Antonio - After dropping game one in heart-breaking fashion, the Texas A&M - Kingsville softball team came up with a top-of-the-seventh game-winning RBI from freshman catcher Naveah Lanter to secure the series and season split with St. Mary's and keep its Lone Star Conference Tournament hopes alive.
Three different Javelinas, right fielder
Seleste Compian, second baseman
Faith Nunez, and catcher Neveah Lanter, each put up multi-hit games on Thursday. The day was highlighted by Lanter, who doubled down the left-field line on the first pitch she saw to bring home the game-winning run in the top of the seventh in game two. On the other side of the ball, freshman LHP
Esther Martinez pitched an absolute gem for the second game in a row, giving up just one run on four hits and working herself out of a number of jams on her way to a seven-inning complete game.
While it didn't go the Javelinas' way, game one had plenty of fireworks. Entering the seventh inning down by one run, TAMUK rallied, batting around in the frame. Nunez started the party with a leadoff double, followed quickly by walks taken by the two grad student outfielders,
Lindsey Evans and
AJ Jasso, to load the bases. After an RBI walk from sophomore DH
Dakota Martinez tied the game, senior first baseman
Kaylynne Ruiz wore a pitch to bring home the go-ahead run. Then, a sac fly from senior
Sophie Campbell, and RBI singles by Lanter and Compian on back-to-back-to-back at bats gave Kingsville a three-run lead. A four-run bottom of the seventh via a grand slam, however, gave St. Mary's the win.
Game two was far less eventful, with no crooked numbers put up in any single frame all game. Kingsville started the game well offensively, with an Evans double brining home Nunez to give the Javelinas a one-run lead in the top of the first. While the Rattlers got one back in the third, the score stayed knotted at one-a-piece until the seventh inning as Martinez continued to deal in high-leverage spots. Down to the team's last out in the seventh, Lanter brought Martinez home with that extra base hit, giving Kingsville the win it needed.
The team will now look ahead to its regular season finale on Sunday, a noon doubleheader with the Hilltoppers in Austin. Then will need a sweep of that series and for TAMIU to split both of its remaining series to win a berth to the LSC Tournament.
