Odessa - In a tale of two contests, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team split with the UT-Permian Basin Falcons, dropping a 10-inning dog fight, 2-1, in game one before putting up double-digit runs in an 11-5 beating of the Falcons in game two.
Though clutch game-one hitting from the Javelinas helped to force extra innings before TAMUK's loss, senior RHP
Andrea Martinez dominated the game. She went a full nine innings, striking out a career-high nine batters and giving up just two earned runs.
"Today playing UTPB game one was a pitchers' duel," Head Coach
Orlando Salinas said. "They have a really outstanding game-one starter and we knew we were gonna be in a battle."
It was the bats that shone bright in game two, with three different Javelinas posting a multi-hit game, while four had RBIs.
"Game two, we came out and responded very well," Salinas said. "Whenever you play a 10-inning game, you always wonder how your team will respond in game two and our team passed the test with flying colors. We really put together a lot of good at-bats and like they always say, hitting is contagious."
From the first pitch, game one became a pitchers duel between two of the best in the LSC so far this year. Martinez didn't give up her perfect game until the bottom of the fifth inning, nor her no-hitter until the bottom of the sixth. She tore her way through the Falcons lineup, with all nine of her strikeouts coming in the first seven innings.
In that fifth inning, Martinez walked three separate batters, but got herself out of the bases-loaded jam to keep the game scoreless. When a solo homer finally did break the tie in the top of the seventh, Kingsville came right back with early baserunners and a bunt single from sophomore OF
Lainee Ballin that tied the game at one, forcing extra innings. From there, though, the team struggled to bring runners home, and fell when the Falcons walked it off in the bottom of the 10th inning.
"We went into extra innings in game one and played 10 innings, we just couldn't get a big hit," Salinas said. "We had plenty of opportunities, but I was really impressed with our team's will to continue to fight and battle a very good pitcher."
Game two was a totally different story, with the Javelinas' bats getting red hot early and often. Though they trailed, 1-0, entering the third, they would never trail again. A seven spot in the frame blew UTPB out of the water. Kingsville batted around and then some in the inning, getting RBIs from junior first baseman
Dakota Martinez, freshman DP
Kennia Chong, and freshman second baseman
Ella Srubar. TAMUK then tacked on one more in the fourth with another Chong RBI (2-for-3, four RBIs), and added another three in the sixth courtesy of a two-RBI single from senior OF
Seleste Compian to pad the final score.
"We started a freshman on the mound in
Kailee Silva and she did a very good job," Salinas said. "She is growing up right in front of us. Anytime you can split on the road in the Lone Star Conference, that's a job well done. We love our team and development is happening at every turn."
Behind Silva, junior RHP
Marianna Zumerle (W, 1-1) and senior RHP
Kristina Nash came in and pitched 2.2 and 2.0 innings respectively to secure Kingsville the win.
The Javelinas will now travel to San Angelo to take on the top-10-ranked Angleo St. Rambelles on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m..
