CANYON, Texas – The #8 Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M picked up a pair of shutout run-rule victories to open their season on Friday during the South Central Regional Crossover at Los Lunas Sports Complex in Los Lunas, New Mexico.
 
The Lady Buffs return to the diamond tomorrow as they take on UCCS (4 p.m. CT) and Southwestern Oklahoma State (6:30 p.m. CT).
 
West Texas A&M 8, New Mexico Highlands 0 (5 Innings)
West Texas A&M and New Mexico Highlands began with a scoreless first inning, marked by strong defense from both sides. In the second inning, the Lady Buffs took the lead with a four-run surge. Trinity Kuntz's RBI single brought Heaven Moreno home, followed by a double from Bella Holland that added two more runs. A Jordyn De Los Santos triple allowed Holland to score, pushing the lead to 4–0 after the second.
 
The Lady Buffs extended their advantage in the third inning. Cadence Colborn's triple set the stage, and Emily Liskai's single brought him home. Moreno later scored on a double by Kuntz, increasing the lead to 6–0 after the third inning.
 
The fourth inning saw another scoring drive by the Lady Buffs. Holland's single was followed by a two-run homer from De Los Santos. Despite multiple hits in the inning, New Mexico Highlands managed to prevent further runs, leaving the score at 8–0 after the fourth.
 
In the fifth inning, the Lady Buffs' defense held strong, highlighted by a double play that ended New Mexico Highlands' attempt to break through. The game concluded with an 8–0 victory for the Lady Buffs, securing a shutout win.
 
Laci Peskey delivered a strong performance, pitching 4 innings with 2 hits allowed and no runs, earning her first win of the season. She struck out 3 batters while walking just one, facing 15 batters in total. Ava Sharp contributed effectively in relief, pitching 1 inning without allowing a hit or a run, striking out one and issuing one walk.
 
West Texas A&M 11, Adams State 0 (5 Innings)
WT took an early lead in the first inning against Adams State, scoring three runs. Holland and De Los Santos walked, followed by a successful double steal. Abby Howell's line out brought in Holland for the first run. Colborn tripled to drive in De Los Santos, and Brooke Janning's single scored Colborn, putting WT ahead 3-0 after the first inning.
 
In the second inning, the Lady Buffs extended their lead to 4-0. Avery Cannon scored on a wild pitch after reaching third on a sacrifice bunt by De Los Santos.
 
The third inning saw the Lady Buffs widen their lead significantly with seven runs. Janning tripled and scored on a Liskai double. Moreno's single brought Liskai home, and Holland's single scored Moreno. De Los Santos hit a three-run homer, bringing in Cannon and Holland, helping the Lady Buffs lead 11-0 after the third.
 
Raegan Sucher pitched a solid inning for the Buffs, allowing just one hit while striking out three batters in her appearance. Sucher faced four batters, throwing 19 pitches with 13 of them being strikes, and she did not issue any walks. Janning picked up the win in the circle, allowing one hit in her three innings of work with five strikeouts.