CANYON, Texas – On Saturday, West Texas A&M softball earned two more wins and remained undefeated on the season despite close contests with MSU Moorhead and UCCS. The Lady Buffs defeated the Dragons 10-5 before closing out day two with a hard-fought 8-7 victory over the Mountain Lions. WT improved to 9-0 on the season.
 
WT finishes the WT Invitational on Sunday with a matchup at 1:30 p.m. against Lincoln.
 
THE BASICS
Game 1 Score: #13 West Texas A&M 10, MSU Moorhead 5
Pitching: (W) Emilee Boyer (4-0); (L) Avery Steffen (3-2)
WT starter Heidi Vortherms battle MSU Moorhead Eliya Johnson in the first two innings with Vortherms recording the first six outs via strikeout. The Lady Buffs would score first in the top of the third as a leadoff triple from Avery Cannon scored on a wild pitch during Emily Liskai's at bat. Liskai followed with a double before a Lauren Granger blast onto the batting cages in left field put WT up 3-0. Kiley Avery kept things rolling with a walk, stolen base, and advancement on a wild pitch. Abby Howell made it 4-0 when the freshman infielder lifted a sacrifice fly to center. With two outs in the inning, Emilee Boyer came around to score on a wild pitch, capping off the five-run inning.
 
MSU Moorhead answered with five of their own as three Lady Buff errors and six hits helped tie the game. A spotless frame in the fourth for WT brought Boyer into the circle in a tie game with the momentum in the balance. With a runner on third and two outs, Boyer forced a strikeout from the Dragons to retire the side.
 
The Lady Buffs broke the tie in the top of the sixth as Avery Cannon launched a 3-1 pitch over the left-center wall for her first collegiate home run.
 
WT put the game out of reach from MSU Moorhead in the top of the seventh when back-to-back singles from Granger and Avery put runners on the corners to start the inning. A pitch later, pinch-runner Kendall Selitzky came in to score on a wild pitch. An RBI double off the Boyer plated a run where the junior came around to score on an attempted double steal. Halie Stoneking scored the Lady Buffs' 10^th run on a stolen base with two outs.
 
With a five-run cushion, Selitzky entered the circle to close out the game. The Dragons quickly applied pressure when two singles put runners on the corners with no outs, but a runner-left-early call recorded the first out of the inning.  The WT freshman showed no fear in the situation, striking out a pair to end the game.
 
THE BASICS
Game 2 Score: #13 West Texas A&M 8, UCCS 7
Pitching: (W): Emilee Boyer (5-0); (L) Autumn Kunze (1-1)
A 1-2-3 inning from Boyer in the circle kicked off the late-night affair with the Mountain Lions, bringing the Lady Buffs to the plate for the first time. Granger started the inning with a single before being erased on a fielder's choice when Avery replaced Granger at first. Avery stole second during Howell's at bat. With one out, Howell sent a towering fly ball into left where Avery had to hold up. The ball eventually hit off the wall, but Avery couldn't score on the play. It wouldn't take the outfielder long to score as Boyer sent a grounder to second, reaching on a throwing error. WT added to its lead when Boyer and Howell executed a double steal, extending the lead to 2-0.
 
The Mountain Lions cut the lead in half in the top of the fifth after back-to-back singles with one out put pressure on the Lady Buff defense. WT recorded a second out, but an infield single brought home the tying run. Boyer escaped the inning with a strikeout, leaving the go-ahead run on third.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, a one-out single from Liskai and a two-out walk from Avery brought Howell to the plate for an RBI opportunity. Howell grounded a ball to short, but a bobble extended the inning and loaded the bases for Boyer. On the first pitch of her at bat, Boyer powered a grand slam to center, seemingly putting the game away.
 
A solo shot from Cadence Colborn in the sixth made the score 7-1 in the sixth as the bats continued to stay hot. Later in the inning, a sacrifice fly from Selitzky brought home the Lady Buffs' eighth run of the game and putting WT in position to end the game on the run rule.
 
After ending the bottom of the sixth on a groundout, UCCS came to the plate facing a seven-run deficit. An early groundout with Ashley Mandell in the circle kept momentum in the Lady Buffs' corner until an error started a streak of seven-consecutive hitters reaching base. The streak of runners brought home five runs, cutting WT's lead down to two. An RBI groundout brought home a run and put the tying run on third with two outs. Boyer, relieving Mandell earlier in the meeting, caught the pinch hitter looking to end the game and stop a late comeback from UCCS.