COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team took both ends of the opening Lone Star Conference doubleheader of the season over Tarleton State, picking up 4-3 and 6-1 victories on Saturday.
 
The Lions are now 9-1 overall and 2-0 in the LSC, while the TexAnns are now 12-2 overall and 2-2 in LSC action.
 
The three-game LSC series will wrap up with a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday at the John Cain Family Softball Complex.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Lions pounded out 13 hits in the two games, with five extra base hits.
- Vanessa Avina, Kinsie Hebler, Kimber Neal, and Bri Sims each had two hits on the day.
- Ciera Nunez and Kayla Kilcrease each scored two runs.
- Emily Otto pitched a complete game in the opener, allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out three, and walking only one. Otto now has a 4-0 record for the season.
- Katie Dean picked up her third win of the season in relief in the second game. She allowed one hit in 2.1 innings, striking out two and walking one. Hebler got the start in the game and allowed one run on three hits in 4.2 innings, striking out four, and walking two.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game One)
The Lions got on the board in the second inning, when Sims led off with a double to right-center. She was replaced by pinch runner Precious Thompson, who promptly stole third and came home on a poor throw, giving the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
 
Tarleton took the lead in the top of the fourth on a two-out, two-run homerun by Tanna Huie on a two-strike count. The long ball was the first homer conceded by Otto in her collegiate career.
 
The Lions flipped the lead with a pinch-hit homer in the bottom of the fifth. Kilcrease drew a one-out walk and pinch hitter Vanessa Avina blasted a long homerun to the berm in centerfield to put A&M-Commerce up 3-2. It was Avina's first homer of the season.
 
A&M-Commerce extended its lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Hebler led off the inning with a double to left field and Sims' one-out double tacked on the insurance run to plate pinch runner Chloe Horn. The Lions drew two more walks in the inning to load the bases, but all three runners were stranded.
 
Otto conceded a single with one out in the seventh and a two-out double put the tying run in scoring position. A Meghann Wrinkle single to center plated one run, but a fly out to right field ended the game with a 4-3 Lion win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game Two)
Tarleton got on the board first in the top of the second. A leadoff infield single and a hit batsman were advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch. Marisa Flores singled to left-center and one runner scored, but Higgs rifled a throw to the plate to cut down the second runner and end the half-inning with the TexAnns leading 1-0.
 
The Lions threatened in the bottom of the fourth before solid Tarleton defensive plays thwarted the scoring opportunities. Jameyson was robbed of a base hit on a sinking liner to left field for the first out. The Lions had runners on first and second with one out, but a hard-hit ball to third was converted into an inning-ending double play.
 
Tarleton loaded the bases in the fifth thanks to two walks and a Lion error, but Dean entered the game with two outs and induced a fly out to end the TexAnn threat.
 
The Lions got on the board in the fifth inning thanks to some small ball. A single down the line by Neal led the inning off and infield singles by Hill and Nunez loaded the bases with one out. Chealsea Slider drew a pinch hit walk to drive home a run and tie the game 1-1. Hebler brought home the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and an error on a fielder's choice pushed the insurance run across the plate. The Lions led 3-1 after five innings.
 
Dean executed the shutdown inning in the top of the sixth, working around a leadoff walk with two strikeouts and a groundout. The Lions continued to push the lead in the bottom of the sixth. A pinch-hit bloop single down the right field line by Taylor Pruitt scored Thompson from second to make it a 4-1 Lion lead. Hebler drew a bases-loaded walk, followed by a Jameyson RBI single to give the Lions a 6-1 advantage headed to the final inning.
 
Dean worked around a leadoff Tarleton single to cap the game with the Lions taking both ends of the doubleheader.