SAN ANGELO– The No. 12 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team swept No. 24 Angelo State on Saturday. The Lions defeated the Rambelles 6-5 in game one and 7-3 in game two.
 
The wins bring the Lions to 30-9 on the season and 16-5 in the Lone Star Conference. ASU falls to 24-13 and 10-10 in conference play. The Lions swept the series after defeating the Rambelles in game one on Friday.
 
The Lions return home to face Texas Woman's in their next series. The teams will meet in a single game on Friday at 12:30 p.m. as part of Education Day presented by Alliance Bank. The teams will finish the series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Tickets to the series against TWU are available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, calling Lion Sales & Service at (903) 468-8756, visiting the LSS Box Office in the Field House during business hours or by purchase at the gates of the John Cain Family Softball Field.
 
HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE GAMES
- On the series: "Our team was determined this whole week to have a great week. I challenged them early and they came through. You saw it early and often. You had the diving plays from Kilcrease, the outstanding pitching we got in the circle, the timely hitting. To come down here and get the sweep, it is a team effort. I'm extremely proud of the way our team played this weekend."
- On the play of the young players: "That's the future of our program. We have great leadership on this team and to see the young players step up as well, it is fun to watch. They have a lot of energy and they play with a lot of passion."
- On the defense: "Angelo is a very good hitting ball club and they hit a lot of balls hard. Our defense, from the infield to the outfield, made a lot of plays. They made all the routine plays and they made a lot of outstanding plays this week. That's what it takes to beat a great ball club."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 1)
- A&M-Commerce hit four home runs in the game.
- Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, giving the Lions the lead for good.
- Jodie Hill (Heavener, Okla.), Vanessa Muro (Oak Hills, Calif.) and Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) also had solo homers.
- Schaefer and Muro both scored twice.
- Alexis Velasquez (Amarillo – River Road) got the win in relief, pitching 5.0 innings. Emily Otto (Richmond – Lamar Consolidated) pitched the final two batters and got her first save of the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)
The Lions got the scoring started early. Hill cranked a home run into left center fence. ASU answered back with a pair of singles, one of which scored a run. Dean struck out two in the inning and the teams were tied 1-1.
 
After a hit by pitch and a pair of singles to open the second, Hebler drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring in a run. ASU again answered, this time scoring four runs across the plate to take a 5-2 lead after two.
 
The Lions hit a pair of solo homers in the third inning to climb back within one. Schaefer hit the first and Muro hit the second. ASU was retired in order and the Lions trailed 5-4 after three.
 
ASU had a pair of hits in the fourth but Velasquez was able to get out of the inning. The Lions then took the lead in the fifth. Schaefer drew a walk and then Boley crushed a pitch over the center field fence, giving the Lions the 6-5 lead.
 
Velasquez retired ASU in order in the sixth inning and Otto came in to save the game in the seventh. Otto struck out the final batter to give the Lions the win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 2)
- Kayla Kilcrease (Kerens) hit a two-run homer in the first inning. She had two hits and scored twice.
- Kinsie Hebler (Cypress – Cy Fair) had a pair of hits and two RBIs. Chealsea Slider (Texarkana - Texas HS) also had a pair of hits and two RBIs. Madison Schaefer also had an RBI.
- Emily Otto pitched a complete game, striking out five.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)
The Lions again started things off quickly, scoring three runs in the first. Hebler led off with a single and scored on a home run from Kilcrease. The Lions then loaded the bases after a double from Sims and two walks. Slider then drew a walk and scored a run to give the Lions a 3-0 lead. ASU had a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The Lions took a 3-2 lead into the second inning.
 
Otto struck out two ASU hitters in the second inning before the Lions added to their lead in the third. Schaefer and Boley both singled. Schaefer then scored on a single from Slider. The Lions led 4-2 after three complete.
 
The Lions added another run in the fourth. Kilcrease reached on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly from Schaefer. Otto had another strikeout in the bottom half as the Lions led 5-2 after four.
 
Kilcrease made another diving catch in center to rob ASU of an RBI hit. The Lions had two singles in the sixth but could not add to their lead. ASU hit a solo homer to cut the Lion lead to 5-3 entering the seventh.
 
The Lions added a pair of runs with two outs in the seventh. Slider singled and Neal drew a walk. Both scored on a deep double from Hebler. Otto struck out one more and drew two pop outs to seal the sweep.