CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M softball won its Lone Star Conference opening series with No. 23 Angelo State on Saturday. The Lady Buffs outlasted the Rambelles 5-1 in a 12-inning game one marathon before scoring eight unanswered runs to finish off the three-game sweep.
 
WT (12-0) returns to Schaeffer Park for its LSC home opener against UT Permian Basin. The Lady Buffs and Falcons start the series on Saturday with a doubleheader at 2 and 4 p.m. with the series wraps up on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
THE BASICS
Game 11 Score: West Texas A&M 5, Angelo State 1 (12 Inn.)
Pitching: (W) Kyra Lair (3-0); (L) Torrey Hogan (3-2)
 
The Lady Buffs started the scoring in the third inning after Madison Johnson walked with one out. The next hitter, Ruby Salzman, brought Johnson around on a double into the left-center gap to give WT a 1-0 lead. The Lady Buffs held the one-run advantage until the bottom of the sixth inning where the Rambelles tied the game on a two-out RBI single.
 
Pitching for both teams locked in as the game went to extra innings, combining for no runs over five innings. In the top of the 12^th, back-to-back singles by Julie Guzman and Gabie McConnell set up a Megan Guericke sacrifice bunt to put the go-ahead run at third with one out. Brittni Rufus promptly brought in both runners as the junior tripled, giving the Lady Buffs a 3-1 lead. WT added insurance runs on Johnson's RBI single to third and Emilee Boyer's RBI double. In the home half of the 12^th, Angelo State placed runners on second and third before Kyra Lair struck out Paxton Scheurer looking to end the ball game.
 
Lair received the win after a six-inning relief appearance where the senior struck out seven while walking three.
 
THE BASICS
Game 12 Score: West Texas A&M 11, Angelo State 5
Pitching: (W) Emilee Boyer (5-0); (L) Genesis Armendariz (4-2)
 
Angelo State found the offense it had been searching for all weekend. A leadoff double and walk led to an RBI single up the middle. WT registered their first out a batter later, but back-to-back hits cleared the bases. After the first inning, the Lady Buffs found themselves down by four.
 
WT scratched a run across in the top of the second as Lauren Granger reached on an error. Granger advanced to third on a fielder's choice where she was lifted for pinch runner Malaya Delfin. On the bases, Delfin stole home to put the Lady Buffs on the board.
 
WT added to its run total in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs. After a Rambelle pitching change, Diana Murtha singled to right-center to score two runs and bring the game within one. WT threatened to take the lead, but three straight strikeouts sat the Lady Buffs down.
 
Angelo State added another run in the bottom of the fifth when Maleya Burns reached on a fielder's choice and stole second. With two outs, a single up the middle scored Burns from second, putting the Rambelles up 5-3.
 
The Lady Buffs tied the game in the top of the sixth after two walks and a single loaded the bases. Murtha came up clutch once more for WT sending a double down the left-field line to score Salzman and Johnson. When Angelo State looked to have escaped the inning, an error by the shortstop extended the inning and allowed two runs to score. The four-run inning gave WT a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
 
The Lady Buffs added another run in the top of the seventh as Johnson tapped a ball right in front of the plate, allowing Gabie McConnell to beat the tag at home. WT put the game out of reach a few batters later after Boyer cleared the bases on a double in the gap to bring the score to 10-5. Following another pitching change, Murtha lifted a sacrifice fly to right to put the Lady Buffs up by six. Boyer went back out to the circle and silenced the Rambelle lineup to complete the win.