Durant, Okla. – A&M-Commerce softball dropped a pair of games, 8-6 against Southwestern Oklahoma State and 2-1 against Washburn, on day two of the Southeastern Regional Invitational at the Durant Multi-Sports Complex.
 
With the Lions sitting on a two-run lead in the top of the seventh inning in game one against Southwestern Oklahoma and runners on first and second with no outs, pinch hitter Ashley Jones smashed a full count pitch over the fence to give the Bulldogs the lead.  The Bulldogs made it back-to-back blast when Molly Vivo hit the second pitch she saw in the at bat for homerun to give SWOSU an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
In the bottom of the seventh the Lions had the heart of the order coming to the plate.  After a groundout, December Rivers started the rally with a single.  Rivers moved to second on a groundout for the second out of the inning, but Johnna Sturm kept the Lions' hopes alive with a two-out single that moved Rivers around to third.  Vivo, who picked up the win for the Bulldogs after four and third innings of work in relief, buckled down and recorded the final out with a strikeout.
 
Vivo came on in relief of SWOSU starter Taylor Eaves in the third inning after Eaves have given up five runs on seven Lion hits.  Vivo immediately got out of trouble in the third inning after inheriting a pair of runners.  She gave up hour hits and only one run, which came in the fifth inning.
 
It was all A&M-Commerce early when Monica Cherry started off the game with a double and scored on a Magen Lynch single.  After Ponce singled and was forced out at second on fielder's choice by Rivers, Brenda Iparraguirre knocked a two-run homer to give the Lions a 3-0 lead after the first inning. 
 
The Lions added run a in the second inning when Kylene Hatton tripled and scored on a double by Cherry, but the Bulldogs started their scoring on a two-run homer off the bat of Adrienne Martinez in the top of the third.
 
The Lions pushed across one more run in the bottom half of the third on a Ponce solo shot, only to have the Bulldogs answer with two runs on three hits in the top of the fourth inning.  Neither team scored until the fifth when Iparraguirre double home pinch runner Cherie Jackson, who entered when Rivers walked, to give the Lions a 6-4 lead and to set the stage for the Bulldogs seventh inning rally.
 
Iparraguirre led the Lions at the dish with a 2-for-3 performance.  She also had a pair of runs scored and an RBI.  Cherry added two hits in her two official at bats, and Sturm was 2-for-3 with a walk for the Lions in the loss.
 
Emma Neuweiler was saddled with the loss for the Lions in the circle.  Neuweiler worked two and a third innings of relief work.  She allowed five hits and four runs, three of which were earned.  Selena Rima got the start for A&M-Commerce, but was ineffective in three and two thirds innings.  She allowed eight hits, gave up four runs and handed out four free passes.
 
In game two, A&M-Commerce was held to just three hits and one run by Washburn's Lauren Thimmesch who turned in a complete game with six strikeouts in the 2-1 win for the Ichabods.
 
Washburn struck first in the top of the third inning when Megan Stegman doubled and scored on an RBI single by Marina Quimby.
 
Thimmesch held the Lions scoreless for the first three innings before Sturm started a two-out rally with a walk.  Cyanne Frenandez followed with a walk and Baylea Higgs delivered a two-out RBI with a single.  Thimmesch worked out of trouble with a pair of Lions on base to end the inning.  The Lions went on to strand eight runners on base in the game.
 
The Ichabods scored what held up to be the game-winning run in the top of the fifth when Kristenc Bell led off with a double.  Taylor Zimmerman delivered the eventual game winner with an RBI double.  The two-bagger knocked A&M-Commerce Cyanna Fernandez out of the game.  In her first start of the season, Fernandez pitched admirable giving up five hits and two runs in her four innings of work.
 
With three at bats left the Lions had chances over the final nine outs of the game.  After going down in order in the bottom of the fifth, A&M-Commerce stranded a runner on third.  Rivers led off the inning with a single.  She moved to second on a pass ball with no outs then moved to third on ground out to first.  With only one out, the Lions went down on a strike out swinging and a fly ball to center as Thimmesch worked out of another jam.
 
Thimmesch found herself in trouble in the bottom of the seventh after Higgs led off with a walk and Cherry reached when Thimmesch hit her with a pitch with one out.  After a double steal put the potential tying run on third, Higgs, and the possible game-winning run on second, Cherry, Thimmesch ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts.
 
The Lions, 7-3, will play the Southeastern Regional Invitational host and No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma Sunday at noon for their tournament finale.
 
Fans can follow all the action from the 2014-15 season on www.LionAthletics.com, through twitter @Lion_Athletics and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LionsAthletics.