CANYON, Texas – The top ranked Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M used a complete game gem by sophomore
Kilee Halbert and a
Lacey Taylor two-run nightcap bomb to extend their best start to a season in program history on Friday night in a pair of Lone Star Conference wins over the rival #22 Rambelles of Angelo State in front of over 400 fans at Schaeffer Park in Canyon. The Lady Buffs move to 26-0 (10-0 LSC) on the season while the Belles fall to 18-7 (7-3 LSC).
GAME #1The teams traded scoreless innings to start the game as both pitchers refused to allow a baserunner in the first two and a half before a
Brittany Cruz double down the right field line followed by an ASU fielding error to put runners on second and third with two outs before a
Brittany Gehle two run single to right field to give WT the 2-0 lead.
The Belles responded in the top of the fourth inning as they registered back-to-back singles with two outs as a Taegan Kirk single drove home Ciara Sheppard to cut the lead to 2-1. Angelo State tried to tie the game in the top of the fifth inning with a single to center field but WT's
Ashley Hardin ended the frame with a frozen rope to the plate to gun down the would-be tying run to keep the score at 2-1.
That's all the lead that
Kilee Halbert would need a the sophomore right hander from Dalhart capped off the complete game victory with two strikeouts to run her game total to 10 for a career high as she moved to 10-0 on the season, giving up one run on four hits with just one walk in her eighth complete game of the season.
GAME #2The Lady Buffs used the free pass to start off the nightcap as
Stacey Ramirez and Gehle combined to see 17 pitches and finish with two walks before ASU responded with three straight strikeouts to end the frame at 0-0. The Belles took their first lead of the game in the top of the second inning as Kirk doubled to straight away center field with one out followed two batters later by a Lanie Robinson RBI single to left center for the 1-0 lead,
WT took a lead in the home half of the fourth inning as
Shea Ibrahim reached on a fielding error to start the frame followed by a two-run
Lacey Taylor bomb the opposite way over the black monster for WT's first hit of the nightcap and the 2-1 lead. WT's
Tori Bayer would close out another incredible effort in the circle as the senior forced a double play ground ball to end the sixth inning while stranding two runners on base in the seventh to pick up the win (7-0), giving up no runs on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts in her 4.0 innings of relief.
UP NEXTThe Lady Buffs and Belles close out the weekend series tomorrow afternoon with first pitch of a doubleheader set for 3 p.m. at Schaeffer Park in Canyon.
