CANYON, Texas – The West Texas A&M softball team fell in its opening game of the 2024 NCAA Division II Softball tournament to the Regis Rangers 4-3 on Thursday afternoon. The loss drops the Lady Buffs overall record to 48-7 on the season.
 
Regis jumped ahead early as the Rangers started the game with a double to the left-center gap. The next hitter, Miia Campos, grounded a ball to third where Diana Murtha gathered and threw to first. Murtha's throw went high and glanced off Megan Guericke's glove before rolling to the fence. The errant throw allowed Olivia Wick to score from second and Campos to advance to third. Later in the inning, an RBI groundout from Morgan Norris plated Regis' second run of the inning to take a 2-0 lead into the second.
 
The Lady Buffs didn't register their first hit until the bottom of the third when Emily Liskai singled to center with two outs. After the lineup flipped over, Lauren Granger blasted the first pitch of her at bat over the batting cages in left field to tie the game. Regis wouldn't let the game stay tied long as the Rangers regained the advantage in the top of the fourth. A one-out walk moved to second on a sacrifice bunt where Jessica Isbell snuck a single into center to score the run.
 
Regis stretched its lead back to two in the top of the fifth as Rachel Williams doubled down the left field line to set up a Norris RBI single up the middle. WT cut into the Regis lead in the bottom of the sixth as Brittni Rufus tripled to the gap with one out. A pitch later, Emilee Boyer bounced a grounder to second where Rufus scored easily.
 
In the seventh, Gabriella Valforte started the inning with a single into right before Heaven Moreno moved Valforte into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. With Guericke at the plate, the senior chopped a ball to third where Campos fired to the plate and cut down pinch-runner Tatem Pendergraft at the plate. The Rangers completed the upset on a groundout to short.
 
WT returns to the field tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. for an elimination game against the loser of Angelo State and Oklahoma Christian.