Commerce, Texas – Kylene Hatton belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning and Courtney Moore turned in a 10-inning complete game to lift A&M-Commerce over Midwestern 7-6 in extra frames in game two of Friday's Lone Star Conference doubleheader, but the Mustangs prevailed in game one of the twinbill 5-4 after a four-run third inning doomed A&M-Commerce.
 
In game two, Midwestern State struck first. With two outs and runners on first and second, Katy Vandewater hit a single to left center to score Haley Howerton from second.  A&M-Commerce answered in the bottom of the second inning when Johnna Sturm launched a solo homer to center.
 
The Mustangs took a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning after Paige Stevens reached on a walk and Howerton followed with a single.  After deep fly ball that moved Stevens to third, Howerton stole second and the throw went into center allowing Stevens to head home and Howerton to move to third.  After strikeout for the second out, Howerton plated the second run of the inning on a wild pitch.
 
Cyanne Fernandez led off the home half of the third with a single to left.  After a fly out, Magen Lynch beat out an infield single.  Tyler Oppenheim moved the runners to second and third with sac bunt, and December Rivers again delivered for the Lions, as she had done earlier in game one.  This time she blooped a ball down the left field line that hit inches fair and spin sideways away from the left field allowing both runners to score knotting the game at three. 
Neither team scored for the next three innings sending the game into extra innings – the third extra inning game for the Lions.  Taylor Bermudes reached on an error with one setting the table for controversy.  Katelyn Potts followed hitting a sharp ground ball to second. Oppenheim caught the grounder wheeled and threw to Monica Cherry covering second. The runner was called out on the play, however after an argument from Midwestern State's head coach, the umpires met and over turned the call.  The reversely flipped what should have been a two-out, runner on first situation into a one-out, runners on first and third scenario.  The ensuing batter struck out for the second out of the inning, but Knox knocked a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run homer giving the Mustangs a 6-3 lead. Moore retired the final out of the inning on a fly out to second.
 
With their backs to the wall the Lions started the rally after Rivers drew a one-out walk.  After a fielder's choice, the Lions were down to their final out, but Sturm kept the inning alive with a walk.  Hatton came to the plate and worked the count to 2-2.  Down to her last strike and the last chance for the Lions, Hatton launched the next pitch deep into the darkness over the fence in right tying the game at six.  The blast was Hatton's first in a Lion uniform.
 
Midwestern State went down quickly in the top of the ninth.  The Lions threaten with runners on second and third and one out, but MSU kept the game going after throwing a runner out at home and a fielder's choice and getting the final out on a ground ball the first.
 
Moore, who became the first Lion to throw more than seven innings in a game, allow runners on second third with two outs in the top of the tenth, but worked out of the jam by getting ground ball hit back to her.
 
Luci Ponce led off the home half of tenth with a walk moved to second after one-out walk to Hatton.  The duo pulled a double steal, but the throw to the shortstop covering third beat Ponce to the bag.  MSU's fielder caught the ball with her back to the field and tried to reach between her legs and apply the tag to Ponce sliding into third. Alertly, Ponce slide to the outside of the bag avoiding the tag and keeping the Lions hopes of winning the program's first extra inning affair alive.  Two pitches later the Lions walked off on a wild pitch that allowed Ponce to cross the plate.
 
Lynch paced the Lions at the plate with a two hits in four at bats, but it was Moore's performance in the circle that pushed A&M-Commerce. She went all 10 innings scattering nine hits and allowing only one earned run.  She also struck out nine batters for the highest strikeouts turned in by a Lion hurler this season surpassing her own mark of eight Ks.
 
In game one, MSU struck first with a four-run third inning highlighted by three-run, two-out home run down the left field line off the bat of Katelyn Vinson.  The Mustangs got the first two batters on in the inning, but after two outs it appeared the Lions were going to escape trouble. Howerton kept the inning alive for Vinson with a two-out single to right center plating for the first MSU run.
 
Oppenheim led off the bottom of the fourth inning with an infield single to short breaking up Erin Knox's no-hit bid.  Three pitches later, Rivers hit a towering drive over the fence in left cutting the MSU lead down to 4-2. 
 
The Mustangs answered countered in the top of the fifth with only one run after loading the bases with no outs.  After an interference call on a ball hit the short for the first out, MSU pushed across the run on a sacrifice fly by Kelley Schaefer.  After an intentional walk to reload the bases, the Lions avoided further damage when Cherry fielded a grounder deep in the hole at short and third to third for the final out of the inning.
 
A&M-Commerce cut the deficit back to two runs, 5-3, after Cherry reached on a bunt single.  After getting moved to second on a sac bunt by Lynch, Cherry took off for third on the next pitch. MSU's catcher came up throwing, but Cherry beat the shortstop to the bag in a foot race.  The ball went into left allowing Cherry to cross the plate.
 
The Lions kept the pressure on with a run in the sixth inning, but left the bases loaded with no outs.  Aundria Zunigia-Romero and Cherie Jackson started things off with a walk, and Hatton followed with a single to left to load the bases.  Sturm worked a full count bringing around Baylea Higgs, who pinch ran for Zunigia-Romero.  Katlyn Holmes, MSU's relief pitcher, settled in and retired the final three batters following a strikeout and two fly outs holding keeping the narrow margin, 5-4, for the Mustangs.
 
After MSU went quietly in the top of the seventh, Holmes retired the Lions in order in the seventh with the final out, a long fly ball to center, getting caught at the warning track.
 
Holmes picked up the save after two innings of work allowing only one hit.  Knox earned the win after five innings of work.  She scattered three hits and allowed four runs, three earned.  Zunigia-Romero took the loss for the Lions after tossing a complete game. She allowed five hits and five runs, all earned, while recording three strikeouts.
 
Offensively, four Lions had hits with Rivers' two-run homer the only extra base hit of the game.
 
The two teams will complete the four-game LSC series Saturday with first pitch of the doubleheader set for 1 p.m.
 
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