CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M softball team continued its homestand with a pair of wins on Monday evening. The Lady Buffs defeated the Hilltoppers of St. Edward's 5-2 and 9-1 in six innings to improve their overall record to 37-4 overall and 29-3 in Lone Star Conference play.
 
WT finishes its series and home stretch tomorrow against St. Edward's. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. weather pending.
 
THE BASICS
Game 1 Score: West Texas A&M 5, St. Edward's 2
Pitching: (W) Emilee Boyer (17-1); (L) Kylen Padgett (6-16)
 
After posting a clean first inning in the circle, Emilee Boyer provided the offense in the Lady Buffs' first at-bat of the day. With two outs in the inning, Boyer powered a ball the opposite way for her 12^th home run of the season. St. Edward's tied the game in the next inning as two singles to start the inning put runners on. The Hilltoppers attempted to sacrifice bunt, but a runner left early to negate the play. St. Edward's scored the runner on second on the next pitch as Lauren Hoyt doubled off the top of the left-field wall to tie the game.
 
WT regained the advantage in the bottom of the third inning when Megan Guericke started the frame with a walk. On a sacrifice bunt from Emily Liskai, Guericke advanced to second before taking third on the play. A one-out walk from Lauren Granger put runners on first and third where pinch runners Kiley Avery and Halie Stoneking executed a double steal to score a run. The double steal set up a two-run home run off the bat of Rufus, extending the lead. After a St. Edward's pitching change, Boyer blasted a 1-0 pitch out to left to bring.
 
The two sides went scoreless until the top of the seventh where the Hilltoppers put pressure on the Lady Buffs. A lead-off walk followed by back-to-back singles loaded the bases with no outs in the final frame. A ground out to short scored a run but Boyer recorded a strikeout and a ground out to end the game.
 
THE BASICS
Game 2 Score: West Texas A&M 9, St. Edward's 1 (6 inn.)
Pitching: (W) Heidi Vortherms (13-3); (L) Cadie Belle Currie (1-7)
 
The Hilltoppers took an early lead after a wild pitch scored a run in the top of the second. WT answered back in the home half of the inning as Murtha started the scoring with a solo shot to lead off. A Johnson walk and Gabriella Valforte single brought up Heaven Moreno. Moreno laid down a sacrifice bunt, but St. Edward's threw the ball away, allowing pinch-runner Avery to come in and score. Another double steal from WT plated another run on a pinch-hit single from Braeland Booth.
 
After a pair of scoreless innings, Boyer started the fifth with a walk followed by a single from Diana Murtha. Tatem Pendergraft entered the game to pinch run for Boyer where she quickly stole third with Murtha advancing to second. Johnson brought home the Lady Buffs' fifth run of the game when the senior infielder singled to shortstop. St. Edward's escaped the inning, retiring the next three hitters.
 
WT brought the run-rule into effect in the bottom of the sixth as three-consecutive singles with one out set up a Murtha RBI single. Needing two runs to end the game, Valforte doubled into the right-center gap with two outs to end the game, 9-1.