LAKEWOOD, Colorado – West Texas A&M's
Ashley Hardin started off the game with a solo homerun and never looked back as the Flower Mound native connected on three long balls on Tuesday afternoon to become the all-time leader in the Lone Star Conference with her 67
th career homerun as the #15 Lady Buffs hit six total homeruns to snap Colorado Christian's 17-game win streak.
The Lady Buffs continue their Spring Break road trip tomorrow afternoon as they take on the ThunderWolves of Colorado State-Pueblo in a doubleheader with first pitch set for 1 p.m. CT at the Rawlings Sports Complex in Pueblo.
THE BASICS:
- Score: #15 West Texas A&M 12, Western New Mexico 6
- Records: WT (20-3) / CCU (19-2)
- Location: Lakewood, Colorado
- Venue: Lakewood Park
HOW IT HAPPENENED:
Ashley Hardin continued to produce out of the leadoff spot as the senior led off the game with a solo shot to center field for her 65
th career homerun to move within one of Midwestern State's Katelyn Vinson (2013-16) for the Lone Star Conference all-time career record.
The Cougars responded in the home half of the first as they played two runs to take an early 2-1 lead. Hardin struck again in the top of the second inning as the senior crushed a two-run shot over the scoreboard in left field to give the Lady Buffs the 3-2 lead while also tying her for the LSC career homerun record.
The Lady Buffs used the long ball again in the top of the third inning
Shanna McBroom lifted a solo shot to left to extend the WT lead to 4-2, CCU didn't take long to respond as Charlotte Romero led off the inning with a solo homerun to straight away center field to cut the lead to 4-3.
Kourtney Coveney tripled down the left field line with one out in the top of the fourth followed by a hit-by-pitch to
Kylee Moore,
Suka Van Gurp added to the WT lead with a three-run blast around the foul pole in left to stretch the WT lead to 7-3 and knock CCU's Kenzie Mattey from the game who entered the afternoon only allowing one homerun on the year before WT's powerful offense connected on four long balls. CCU cut into the lead in the home half of the fifth inning as an RBI double-play ball to
Alyx Cordell at shortstop drove in a run at 7-4.
Hardin made history in the top of the sixth inning as the senior from Flower Mound set a new LSC career homerun record while also tying the league's single-game record with her third homerun of the season and the 67
th of her historic career for the 8-4 lead. She becomes the 11
th player in conference history to hit three homeruns in a single game.
WT wasn't done yet as Van Gurp singled to left field to score Coveney from second base with no outs followed by a McBroom RBI single thru the left side to make it 10-4,
Allie Smith added to the WT lead with a two-run homerun to left field with two outs to make it 12-4. The Cougars wouldn't go down without a fight as they used a pair of Lady Buff errors to keep the game alive with two runs in the home half to cut the lead to 12-6.
Starkey picked up the win (8-0) for the Lady Buffs, giving up four runs (two earned) on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts in her five innings of work.
