Richardson - Courtesy of a pair of games packed with explosive offense, the Texas A&M-Kingsville softball team swept the UT-Dallas Comets, 9-3 and 21-6, on Friday.
Sophomore right fielder
Lainee Ballin, freshman outfielder Ayla Gonzalez, and junior outfielder
Jolyn Perez each posted a three-plus hit game on the day, with Ballin going perfect (4-for-4, 2 RBI) in game one, and Perez (3-for-3, 3 RBI) doing the same in game two. The team has now won three straight ball games and five of its last six stretching back to last weekend's four-game home stand.
Kingsville has now scored nine or more runs in three straight ball games, and collected 29 hits across the day's doubleheader. In total, seven different players drive in multiple runs in a single game, led by four (on a grand slam) from junior catcher Maria Vallas Raya in game one, and four from junior first baseman
Dakota Martinez in game two.
The first game was a wild one from start to finish. The action started in the top of the second with a two-run homer from Ballin, the fourth of her season. The Comets were quick to respond, clearing a set of loaded bases to take the lead back on one play.
Following that quick flurry of scoring, the next six sides were dominated by defense, with the only run scored in that range coming on an RBI single from freshman left fielder
Kennia Chong, which tied the game.
With the game still knotted in the sixth, Kingsville loaded the bases as freshman shortstop
Ella Srubar got plunked, which followed hits from Ballin, Gonzalez. Then, for the first time this year, the Hogs came up with a grand slam. Valls Raya blasted one over the left field wall, breaking the game wide open and giving Kingsville a lead it would not surrender. From there, senior RHP
Andrea Martinez finished off the fifth win of her season by pitching the third complete game of her year. She struck out six in those seven innings, not giving up any earned runs in the process.
The second game was an even crazier roller coaster, with Kingsville trailing the Comets entering the sixth inning. Though two sacrifices, an RBI walk from D. Martinez, and an RBI single from Perez had given TAMUK a four spot in the first, it hadn't scored since, and was now behind by a pair of runs thanks to a five spot from UTD in the third.
That's when the Javelinas' bats exploded. The team batted around in the sixth, including a streak where eight straight batters reached. After Chong led off the inning with a single, ending up on second following a wild pitch, Kingsville's next four batters drove in runs, giving the Hogs the lead in the blink of an eye. One batter later, D. Martinez punctuated the frame with a home run, the fifth of her season. Even with a healthy lead, the seventh inning was no different. The team posted another streak of four straight batters driving in runs with the bases loaded late in the inning and, this time, the squad's 'batters reached' streak reached nine. Multiple Javelinas, freshman catcher
Karina Alarcon and sophomore outfielder Elena Gonzalez got the first hits of their collegiate careers. Each went 2-for-2 as they combined to drive in three runs.
In a break from its usual conference schedule, TAMUK will have both this Sunday and next Friday off before heading West to Laredo for a doubleheader against the TAMIU Dustdevils on Sunday, March 22nd
