STEPHENVILLE– The No. 8 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team earned two wins over No. 21 Tarleton on Friday afternoon. The Lions won the first game 8-0 and the second game 8-4.
 
The wins bring the Lions to 35-10 on the season and 21-6 in the Lone Star Conference. Tarleton falls to 31-11 and 15-9 in conference play.
 
The Lions return to action on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader against St. Edward's. The first game will start at 1 p.m. at Diane Daniels Field in Austin.
 
HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE SERIES
- On winning two games against a top 25 team on the road: "I'm excited with how we played today. After what happened yesterday, a lot of teams could have just folded. But that's why I love this team. We knew it was going to be a fight. And we went out there and took the fight to them between the lines. And it ended up being a great day."
- On the performance of Katie Dean in game one: "I'm really proud of Coach McNutt and the job she has done with the pitching staff. They've bought into her and you see a new level of confidence in them. For us to be down one game in the series and for Katie to come in and pitch a two-hit shutout, that was huge. That's what our team needed. For a senior to go out and do that was awesome."
- On the offense: "We had some timely hitting. We put pressure on their defense. We had a game plan going in and our kids stuck to it and executed very well. We got people on base and got some big hits and a couple home runs. It was great to see everyone contribute up and down that lineup. We scored the runs we are used to scoring, and we did it against one of the top pitching staffs in our conference. For us to put up the amount of runs we did says a lot about our offense. I'm very proud of them."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 1)
- Katie Dean (Whitesboro) pitched a complete game, giving up just two hits while striking out four.
- Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas HS) hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning.
- Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) hit a two-run homer in the third inning.
- Vanessa Muro (Oak Hills, Calif.) hit a solo homer in the second inning. Kayla Kilcrease (Kerens) also had a two-RBI single.
- Kimber Neal (Humble – Atascocita) had two hits and scored twice. Jodie Hill (Heavener, Okla.), Vanessa Avina (Haltom City) and Ta'Lyn Moody (Mansfield – Legacy) also scored.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)
Dean struck the first two batters she faced as neither team put a run on the board in the first inning. The Lions then struck first, with Muro hitting a solo homer into right. The Lions turned a double play in the bottom half and led 1-0 after two complete.
 
The Lions added two runs in the third inning. Neal doubled and scored on a home run from Schaefer. Dean struck out two more in the bottom half and the Lions led 3-0 after three.
 
The Lions blew the game open in the fourth, scoring five runs. Slider hit a three-run homer to double the Lion lead. With Hill and Neal in scoring position, Kilcrease hit a ball through the middle to score both. The Lions led 8-0 after four.
 
TSU had two runners reach in the bottom of the inning but Dean forced a groundout on the final play to end the game.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 2)
- Kimber Neal hit a three-run homer to give the Lions the lead for good. She also walked in a run.
- Vanessa Muro also hit a home run.
- Kinsie Hebler (Cypress – Cy Fair) had three hits and drove in a run.
- Kayla Kilcrease and Chealsea Slider both had two hits and each scored a run.
- Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) had a hit and drove in two runs. Jodie Hill also had a hit and scored twice.
- Emily Otto (Richmond – Lamar Consolidated) pitched the final 4.2 innings and earned the win. She had six strikeouts. Katie Dean pitched the first 2.1 innings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)
Both teams had a pair of players reach in the first but neither could bring in a run. The Lions then took the lead on the first pitch of the second inning. Muro squared her bat and blasted a pitch over the left field fence. The Lions led 1-0 after two complete.
 
A&M-Commerce added to its lead in the third. Kilcrease hit a double and Hebler hit a single. Boley then flew out to left, bringing in Kilcrease on the sacrifice. TSU answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. After three, the teams were tied at two.
 
The Lions regained the lead in the fourth. Slider and Hill both singled. Neal then hit a bomb over the center field fence. The Lions weren't done there. Schaefer walked and Hebler singled. Boley then singled up the middle to score Schaefer. Otto entered in relief and struck out a batter in the bottom of the inning. The Lions led 6-2 after four complete.
 
The Lions added two runs in the fifth inning. An error and three walks brought in a run as Neal pushed the run across. Hebler then hit through the left side to bring in another run. TSU hit a home run in the bottom of the inning and the Lions led 8-4.
 
Otto retired six of the final seven batters she faced, including a swinging strikeout to seal the win.