Wichita Falls – The No. 11 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team lost a 5-4 game against Midwestern State on Friday. The Lions took the lead in the sixth inning but fell behind in the bottom of the sixth and could not regain the lead.
The loss brings the Lions to 15-3 on the season and 5-2 in the Lone Star Conference. The Mustangs improve to 9-8 and 4-6 in conference play.
The teams will meet again on Saturday in a doubleheader. The first game will begin at 1 p.m. at Mustang Park in Wichita Falls.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Vanessa Muro went 2-of-3 with two doubles.
- Ciera Nunez and Baylea Higgs both had a hit and both drove in a run.
- Mariah Jameyson had a hit and scored a run. Kinsie Hebler also had a hit.
- Vanessa Avina, Kimber Neal and Precious Thompson also all scored a run.
- Emily Otto pitched a complete game and gave up five hits with four strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a quick top of the first, the Mustangs struck first in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff triple, a single brought the first run of the game across. Another run came across because of an error and MSU took a 2-0 lead after one complete inning.
Both teams struggled to get their bats going in the next three innings. Otto did not give up a hit in any of those innings but the Lion offense could not get their bats going either. After four complete innings, the Mustangs still held a 2-0 lead.
The Lions got their bats going in the fifth inning. The team hit three singles but could not string enough hits together to get a run across. The Mustangs had another hitless inning in the bottom half and the score was still 2-0.
The Lions finally got some offensive production in the top of the sixth inning. They loaded the bases with one out. Nunez then came up to the plate and hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run. Higgs came up next and singled, scoring two more runs. The Lions took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Mustangs responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. A walk and two singles drove in a run. The next batter hit a double to score two more runs. The Mustangs took a 5-3 lead into the seventh inning.
The Lions looked to rally in the top of the seventh inning. Jameyson drew a walk and Muro then doubled, putting two runners in scoring position. Hill came up and hit a groundout, scoring Jameyson. The Lions had one more chance to get a runner across but a strikeout ended the rally and ended the game.