Kingsville - Collecting 16 hits across two games, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team swept the Texas A&M-International Dustdevils with 3-1 and 6-3 wins in the Javelinas' home openers on Sundays, extending the team's winning streak to seven games, tied for the longest for the program since 2022.
The team totalled four extra base hits and allowed just four runs in the games and began Lone Star Conference play with a pair of wins.Â
"I was very pleased with our team's ability to overcome adversity," Head Coach
Orlando Salinas said. "We spotted them three runs in the first inning and we never put our heads down. We stuck to our plan and eventually were able to create a rally and come up with the victory to open conference play."
Kingsville's day began with a huge, two-run homer from sophomore third baseman
Alaunah Almaraz, who went 3-for-4 with two walks in the doubleheader. Her deep shot started the day's scoring, giving TAMUK the lead in the bottom of the first, a lead they would never surrender. From there, it became a pitching duel that saw both sides' POs work out of jams all game long. Kingsville's starter, senior RHP
Andrea Martinez, put together a gem, giving up just one earned run in 6.1 of work, striking out a career-high eight batters while helping to force TAMIU to leave seven runners stranded on base throughout the game.
Sophomore UTL
Julissa Vasquez padded the Hogs' lead with an RBI single in the fourth, before that lead was threatened in the game's final moments. TAMIU threatened late, loading the bases in the top of the seventh. Kingsville turned to sophomore LHP
Esther Martinez to get the game's final two outs, and she came up huge. She induced a line-out double play to sophomore second baseman
Alexis Soliz to secure TAMUK's win.
"In the first game, we hite the ball hard all day long," Salinas said. "We just hit it right at them, but I was really pleased with the approach and how we approached every at bat."
The doubleheader's second game continued the day's excitement, as TAMUK ceded three runs to the Dustdevils in the first inning, putting the home team in an early hole. Needing a rally, the Javelinas delivered just that, scoring four runs on four hits and nearly batting around in the third inning. Kingsville nabbed the lead in the frame thanks to RBI hits from Vasquez, Soliz, freshman left fielder
Victoria Vargas, and the first hit of freshman UTL
Ella Srubar's career. E. Martinez again took over in relief, this time pitching the game's final four innings, giving up just two hits, two walks, and no runs.
"
Esther Martinez came in to save both games," Salinas said. "I can't say enough about her maturity and how much she has grown in our program. We're on a seven-game winning streak and I can see our team getting better by the inning."
The Javelinas will now look again to another weekend of home games, as they host Texas Woman's on Friday, with games at 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. before they take on the reigning National Champion UT-Tyler Patriots on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m..
