CANYON, Texas – On Friday, the West Texas A&M softball team registered a pair of non-conference wins over CSU Pueblo and Fort Lewis. The Lady Buffs (8-1) slugged their way past the ThunderWolves in game one before a complete-game shutout from Heidi Vortherms silenced the Skyhawks' offense in game two.  
 
WT starts Lone Star Conference play at home on Friday, Feb. 16. when No. 8 UT Tyler comes to Canyon. Friday will serve as the doubleheader day with games at 3 and 5 p.m. with the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
THE BASICS
Game 1 Score: West Texas A&M 10, CSU Pueblo 7
Pitching: (W) Emilee Boyer (4-1); (L) McKenna James (0-4); (S) Heidi Vortherms (1)
 
WT struck first in the top of the first when Emilee Boyer reached on a fielder's choice before Diana Mutha walked. The pair came around to score when Madison Johnson singled to right with two outs. The Lady Buffs added two more runs an inning later when Riley Stiner doubled to right-center field to score Megan Guericke and Emily Liskai. After a groundout, Brittni Rufus reached on an infield single to score Stiner.
 
CSU Pueblo broke up the shutout in the bottom of the second on a double steal to bring the score to 5-1. In the top of the fourth, Rufus tripled into the right field corner to score Granger before coming in to score on Boyer's sacrifice fly. The ThunderWolves brought the game back within reach in the bottom of the fifth when Caitlyn Cole hit a three-run home run.
 
In the sixth, another Rufus triple set up a Boyer infield single, pushing the WT lead back to four. An inning later, the Lady Buffs struck for a pair of runs once again as Granger singled up the middle to score Guericke and Braeland Booth.
 
Facing its last at-bat, CSU Pueblo used a walk and a single to set up a groundout, putting runners on second and third. On the very next pitch, Ashley Tosh lined a home run over the left field wall, cutting the WT advantage in half. After a groundout to third, the ThunderWolves added a runner on a single to right to bring the tying runner on-deck. Needing one out to close the game, WT turned to Heidi Vortherms to close out the win with a groundout to first.
 
THE BASICS
Game 2 Score: West Texas A&M 8, Fort Lewis 0
Pitching: (W) Heidi Vortherms (4-0); (L) Amiee Shanks (2-3)
 
After a scoreless opening inning, Vortherms struck out the side after giving up an opening double to start the second. The three strikeouts gave momentum to the Lady Buffs in the bottom half as Murtha lifted a home run to center. In the third, a walk and hit by pitch gave WT two runners on with one out when Boyer reached on a fielder's choice. As Fort Lewis attempted to turn the double play, the throw from second skipped in to first and dribbled away from the fielder. The momentary lapse gave Granger just enough time to score on the error and double the lead. Three straight hits from Murtha, Johnson, and Heaven Moreno plated three more runs to move the advantage to five.
 
WT pushed across another run in the fourth when Rufus drove in Kiley Avery on a single into left field. Needing just two runs to end the game in the bottom of the fifth, Moreno singled in Murtha on the first pitch of her at bat. The Lady Buffs added another runner on base when Stiner walked with the run-rule in sight. The Skyhawks escaped the inning and forced another inning, recording two outs before WT scored its next run.
 
The Lady Buffs ended the game in the sixth inning after loading the bases with one out. A first-pitch single into the right field corner scored Liskai and sending the Buff Nation faithful home.