CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M freshman outfielder
Brittany Cruz registered a pair of walkoffs including a two run single with two outs in the seventh inning of the nightcap as the #1 Lady Buffs completed a thrilling Lone Star Conference Opening Day sweep of the #20 TexAnns of Tarleton State. The Lady Buffs remain unbeaten on the year at 18-0 (2-0 LSC) while the TexAnns fall to 12-7 (0-2 LSC) overall.
GAME #1The TexAnns looked to take the early lead as they used a leadoff walk and a bunt single to put runners on first and second with no outs followed by a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up 60 feet, Nyka Wood flied out to deep right field to drive in Melody Mayse with a sacrifice fly before
Kilee Halbert forced a flyout to
Kourtney Coveney in left to end the frame with TSU leading 1-0.
Stacey Ramirez led off the home half of the frame with a single back to the circle followed by a
Brittany Gehle walk on five pitches to put runners on first and second with no outs, TSU's Haley Freyman answered with a strikeout and a fielder's choice ground ball before
Ashley Hardin walked to load the bases but Freyman answered with a ground ball to second to end the inning.
Shayne Starkey led off the second with a double to right center followed by a Coveney walk on four pitches before Starkey stole third on a strikeout followed by a run-and-hold that scored a WT run to tie the game at 1-1 after two innings of play.
Starkey led off the home half of the fourth with a triple to right field followed two batters later by a
Brittany Cruz RBI single to left center with one out followed by RBI doubles from
Shea Ibrahim,
Lacey Taylor and
Ashley Hardin to give the Lady Buffs the 6-1 lead after four innings of play. Tarleton State looked to cut into the lead in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases with one out followed by a walk to drive in a run and knock Halbert from the game,
Tori Bayer entered from the pen as she registered a pair of huge strikeouts to erupt the Schaeffer Park crowd as WT took the 6-2 lead into the home half of the fifth.
The Lady Buffs ended the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as Coveney doubled to center field with the bases loaded and two outs to drive in three WT runs followed two pitches later by a Cruz RBI double to the right center field gap as Coveney came around to score for the 10-2 run-rule win in six innings. Halbert picked up the win (7-0) for the Lady Buffs, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts in her 4.1 innings of work while Bayer registered her first save of the season with no runs on one hit with no walks and three strikeouts in her 1.2 innings of relief.
GAME #2The TexAnns took an early 3-0 lead in the nightcap as Katelynn Conlee blasted a two run bomb to left center field with one out in the first inning followed a frame later by a Taylor Fitzgerald solo homerun on top of the batting cages in left field for the early 3-0 lead, the Lady Buffs responded in the home half of the second inning as Ramirez reached on a TSU error with two outs as Starkey raced around to score to cut the lead to 3-1.
WT cut into the lead again in the home half of the third on a wild play as Taylor singled to right field with one out as Gehle raced around to third, a throw had Taylor in time at second base but the TSU fielder dropped the ball out of the view of an umpire as Gehle scored but Taylor was called out at second followed by a groundout to end the threat at 3-2. The Lady Buffs tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with an illegal pitch with the bases loaded and two outs to knock TSU starter Shelby Hedrick from the game but Haley Freyman entered and got the out to end the frame at 3-3.
Tarleton State retook the lead in the top of the fifth inning as Wood blooped a single to center field with runners on the corners and two outs to take the 4-3 lead, the Lady Buffs stranded their seventh baserunner of the game in the home half of the inning as a ground ball to the circle with two outs kept the game at 4-3.
Chelsea Skipper settled in as the freshman forced a pair of popups to Ramirez at short followed by a line drive to Ibrahim at the hot corner to head to the home half of the sixth.
The Lady Buffs wouldn't go down without a fight as they Hardin walked with one out followed by a Starkey lineout to center field before another two-out rally began,
Allie Smith singled thru the left side on a full count offering followed by a Coveney walk to load the bases before Cruz registered her second walkoff of the day with a two RBI single up the middle on a 1-2 count to give the Lady Buffs the 5-4 win. Skipper picked up the win (3-0) for the Lady Buffs, giving up one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in her 5.2 innings of relief.
NEXT UPThe top ranked Lady Buffs conclude Strike Out Cancer Weekend tomorrow afternoon as the final two games of the LSC Opening Weekend series are set for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Schaeffer Park. Fans are encouraged to show up early as Tatum Schulte and her family are expected to be in attendance for a pre-game ceremony as WT Softball raises money for #TeamTatum.
