COMMERCE – The No. 2-ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team tied the longest winning streak in school history in the opening game of action Friday, splitting a doubleheader with Lubbock Christian University.
 
The Lions won the opener 4-3 and the Lady Chaps won the nightcap 9-6.
 
A&M-Commerce is now 20-5 overall and 13-1 in the Lone Star Conference, while LCU is 18-9 overall and 8-6 in the league.
 
The Lions close out their homestand on Sunday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against No. 24 Angelo State.
 
HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE DOUBLEHEADER
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game One)
- Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) reached base on all four chances with two singles and two walks. She had two steals and scored twice.
- Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain), Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas High), and Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) each had RBIs.
- Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk for the win, moving to 8-2 on the year. LeBlanc earned her second save of the season with 2.0 shutout innings on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game One)
Schaefer led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a Modrego single to give the Lions an early 1-0 lead.
 
LCU tied the game in the top of the second when Tyla Lee led off with a solo homer to center, but the Lions regained the lead in the second. LeBlanc led off with a single, moved to third on an error, and scored on Slider's groundout to make it 2-1.
 
The Lion defense kept the Lady Champs off the board in the fourth, when LCU hit three straight singles, but Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) lasered a ball in from center to Slider, who fired home to Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) to gun down the tying run at the plate. LCU did manage to tie the game in the fifth on Skylar Herrera's two-out RBI double.
 
A&M-Commerce regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth after Samantha Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) beat out an infield single, stole second, and moved to third on a Schaefer single. That duo executed a perfect delayed double steal to retake the lead. A Dugi single and hit batter loaded the bases, and LeBlanc drew a walk to make it 4-2.
 
LCU's Lee homered again to lead off the sixth, and the next batter walked before Boley and Slider turned a beautiful 3-6-3 double play to minimize any damage. The Lady Chaps' Kamryn Gibbs doubled to lead off the seventh, but LeBlanc shut LCU's next three batters down without the ball leaving the infield.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game Two)
- Dutton went 2-for-3 with a double and was the only Lion with multiple hits.
- Schaefer hit a two-run homer and walked twice.
- Modrego scored twice, with a four-base error in the fourth and a two-run homer in the fifth.
- LeBlanc was tagged with the loss to fall to 12-3 on the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lady Chaps came out swinging early, collecting seven hits and six runs in the first two innings, including a three-run double by Herrera.
 
Modrego laid down a bunt to lead off the fourth and an errant throw by the LCU pitcher traveled all the way to the fence in right-field and the Spaniard scored on the four-base error.
 
The Lions rallied with two outs in the fifth, starting with a two-out double by Dutton, followed by a Schaefer two-run dinger. Dugi beat out an infield single and Modrego homered, cutting the lead to one point.
 
LCU added two unearned runs in the sixth and barely beat out the tag for a sacrifice fly, making it a 9-5 game.
 
The Lions scrapped back a run after a walk, a single, a passed ball, and a wild pitch, but the tying run was left on deck after a strikeout and a groundout.