ODESSA, Texas – West Texas A&M softball closed out its two-week road stretch with a pair of wins at UT Permian Basin. The Lady Buffs put game one away late for a 12-1 victory before a flurry of runs in game two gave WT a 16-7 victory in six innings.
 
WT improves to 28-2 on the season and 18-2 in Lone Star Conference play while UT Permian Basin drops to 6-24 overall and 1-19 in league action.
 
The Lady Buffs return home for a top-five matchup with No. 4 Angelo State on Friday, March 21. First pitch for the doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Schaeffer Park.
 
THE BASICS
Game 1 Score: #3 West Texas A&M 12, UT Permian Basin 1
Pitching: (W) Emilee Boyer (14-1); (L) Jessica Cantrell (4-8)
UT Permian Basin cracked the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first. A pair of strikeouts from Emilee Boyer in the circle started the frame when Boyer struck out the third batter. Despite the third strikeout, a wild pitch put the runner on first and kept the inning alive. A single and error on the Lady Buffs allowed the Falcons to bring a runner around the bases.
 
WT wouldn't score its first run of the game until the top of the third when an Avery Cannon single started the frame. Pinch-runner Lily Mulder then stole second before stealing third as Lauren Granger struck out and reached first. Granger subsequently stole second, putting runners on second and third with one out. Mulder crossed home when Kiley Avery beat out an infield single to the pitcher, tying the game at one.
 
An inning later, the Lady Buffs would take a lead they wouldn't relinquish as an error kept the inning alive for Cannon's two-run home run to left field. WT made it three straight innings with a run, scoring three in the top of the fifth. A Avery walk started the inning where back-to-back doubles from Boyer and Cadence Coborn pushed the advantage to 5-1. The Lady Buffs would make the score 6-1 as a two-out RBI single up the middle from Halie Stoneking drove in a run.
 
WT put the game out of reach with six runs on seven hits and an error in the top of the seventh. Heaven Moreno singled in a run, creating a six-run difference. Stoneking followed with a bunt single to score an initial run. After trying to cut down another runner, Moreno came all the way around to score on the play. Cannon would put an exclamation mark on her day at the plate as the freshman launched her second homer of the afternoon. A pinch-hit single from Kendall Selitzky set up a pinch-hit home run for Riley Stiner, capping the scoring at 12-1.
 
Game 2 Score:  #3 West Texas A&M 16, UT Permian Basin 7 (6 Inn.)
Pitching: (W) Kendall Selitzky (4-0); (L) Meghan Gattis (0-9)
 In game two, the Lady Buffs would jump ahead early and never look back when a leadoff single from Granger came around to score on a stolen base and error by the UTPB catcher. Moreno recorded her first RBI of the game when the junior shortstop singled to center. Stoneking created a four-run lead when the senior powered a two-run home run out of the park to left.
 
The Falcons would score their first run in the bottom of the second when a sacrifice bunt brought home a runner on third with one out. WT answered the run in the next half inning when Moreno lifted a sacrifice fly to center to restore the four-run lead.
 
The Lady Buffs would start to create separation from UTPB in the top of the fourth as Cannon homered for the third time of the day with one out. A wild pitch with the bases loaded brought in a run before Boyer blasted a no-doubter home run to left, bringing the score to 10-1.
 
WT added two runs in the top of the fifth when Kendall Luna de la Fuente recorded an RBI groundout and Mulder singled in a run. The Lady Buffs looked to be in position to end the game in five innings with an 11-run lead, but the Falcons wouldn't go away quietly. A two-out error scored a run for UTPB and extended the inning. An RBI single brought home another unearned run where the Falcons cut WT's lead in half with a three-run home run to left.
 
The five runs from UTPB in the fifth sent the game to another inning where the Lady Buffs added four runs. The first run came across when Trinity Kuntz reached on an RBI fielder's choice with the bases loaded. With Cannon at the plate, Boyer stole home to score WT's 14^th run of the game. A Falcons error with the bases loaded brought home two more Lady Buffs on the bases before UTPB recorded an out on a rundown. After forcing another inning, the Falcons looked to repeat their success in the sixth when an RBI triple with two outs scored a run. Before UTPB could continue their momentum, the Lady Buffs closed out the game on a groundout to short.