CANYON, Texas – The #2 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M started slow but eventually found their rhythm at the plate as junior catcher
Lacey Taylor drove in five runs in the nightcap as WT swept Lone Star Conference doubleheader action from the visiting Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville during Military Appreciation Weekend at Schaeffer Park in Canyon, Texas. The pair of wins lifts West Texas A&M to 31-6 (15-3 LSC) while the Javelinas fall to 13-16 (5-9 LSC) on the season.
The Lady Buffs and Javelinas return to action tomorrow afternoon as they wrap-up Military Appreciation Weekend with Lone Star Conference doubleheader action, first pitch from Schaeffer Park is set for 1 p.m.
Game #1#2 West Texas A&M 9, Texas A&M-Kingsville 4
The Lady Buffs started off the scoring in the bottom of the first inning as the Javelinas handout lwalks to two of the three WT batters followed by a
Lacey Taylor RBI single up the middle with two outs to drive in
Stacey Ramirez from second base to give the Lady Buffs the early 1-0 lead. The teams traded zeroes in the next few innings before Kingsville took their first lead of the game with a three run homerun into a strong wind over the left field fence in the top of the fifth with one out to give the Javelinas the 3-1 lead.
WT responded in the bottom of the fifth as
Ashley Hardin walked on five pitches to leadoff the inning followed by a
Tyler Wilkinson RBI standup double to left center field to score Hardin and cut the lead to 3-2 with no outs, Kingsville forced a ground ball to short for the first out followed by an infield popup before
Renee Erwin tied the game with an RBI double off of the top of the black monster that hit the yellow fence topper and came back into play to tie the game at 3-3. The Lady Buffs weren't done yet as
Kaisha Dacosin singled to left field to score Erwin from second base with two outs to give WT the 4-3 lead after five complete innings of play.
The Javelinas looked to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning as a leadoff full-count walk knocked Halbert from the game as junior right hander
Tori Bayer came in from the bullpen, Bayer forced a flyout to right on her second pitch followed by another popup to Erwin in right and a ground ball to the circle that ended the inning with WT leading 4-3.
Morgan Harrison was hit by a pitch to start the home half of the sixth followed by a Hardin two run bomb over the black monster in left center with no outs to stretch the WT lead to 6-3, the Lady Buffs weren't done yet as Erwin singled up the middle to score Ramirez from second base followed by a Kingsville errant pickoff attempt that allowed Gehle to score from third.
Allie Smith launched a ball to the warning track in straight away center field for a sacrifice fly that scored Erwin to stretch the Lady Buffs lead to 9-3. The Javelinas cut into the lead with an RBI triple to right field past the diving glove of Erwin with two outs but a flyout to right field ended the game, 9-4.
Halbert picked up her third win in as many starts as the Dalhart moved to 5-0 on the season, giving up three runs (all earned) on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts in her 5.0 innings of work while Bayer grabbed her fifth save of the season, giving up one run (earned) on two hits in the final two innings of play.
Game #2#2 West Texas A&M 13, Texas A&M-Kingsville 2 (5 Innings)
The Javelinas used the long ball to take the lead early in the nightcap as Rachael Ramirez took a 3-1
Rita Hokianga offering deep over the left field fence to give Kingsville the 1-0 lead after a half inning of play. The Lady Buffs answered in the home half of the first as Taylor stayed hot at the plate with a bases clearing double to the deepest part of the park in right center field with one out followed three batters later by a Hardin double down the left field line to score Taylor from second to make it 4-1. WT added to their lead in the bottom of the second inning with two outs as a TAMUK error followed by a Smith RBI infield single and a Hardin walk with the bases loaded to stretch the WT lead to 7-1 after two innings of play.
Kingsville used the long ball again in the top of the third inning as Ramirez went yard again with her second solo homerun of the night, a blast to left center field with two outs to cut the WT lead to 7-2. The Javelinas looked to cut into the lead again in the top of the fourth inning with runners on second and third with one out before Hardin made a great grab on the run at the left field line followed by a ground ball back to Hokianga in the circle as WT took the 4-1 lead into the home half of the fourth.
The Lady Buffs added to their lead in the home half of the fourth as Taylor knocked in her fourth and fifth RBI of the game with a monster two-run homerun off of the light pole in right center field with no outs, Smith and Wilkinson singled followed two batters later by a Kristina Holguin pinch-hit walk to load the bases followed two hitters later by a huge grand slam by
Brittany Gehle over the black monster in left field to stretch the WT lead to 13-5 headed to the fifth in Canyon. That's all the lead that Hokianga would need as the senior left hander registered three outs in four batters to move to 13-4 on the season, giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts in the complete game victory.
