COMMERCE – The No. 5 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team used stellar defense, exceptional pitching, and clutch offense to earn a shutout sweep of No. 17 West Texas A&M on Sunday, winning 2-0 and 1-0.
 
The Lions move to 10-4 overall and 4-0 in the Lone Star Conference with the sweep, while the Lady Buffs are now 12-4 overall and 0-4 in league play. The Lions have now won five straight games by shutout and have gone 33.1 innings since allowing an opponent to score – both are program records.
 
A&M-Commerce hits the road next week for the first time since the first week of March in 2020, playing at Western New Mexico on Friday and UT Permian Basin on Sunday.

HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE GAMES
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 1)
- Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) pitched a complete game shutout to move to 2-2 on the season. She allowed seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
- Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain), Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic), and Samantha Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) each had two hits. Boley drove in Modrego with each of her hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)
The Lady Buffs were the first team to threaten after a leadoff double in the second by Gabriella Valforte. She moved into scoring position on a walk, and a bunt single had the chance to load the bases, but Valforte aggressively went for home, where Modrego threw her out.
 
The Lions stranded runners in scoring position in the second, but converted on a chance in the third, when Modrego led off with an infield single, then stole second. Boley's single to center scored Modrego and put the Lions up 1-0.
 
In the fifth, Modrego again showed leadoff prowess with a triple to center. Boley singled up the middle to make it 2-0 in the hosts' favor.
 
Otto evaded the Lady Buffs' best opportunity in the sixth after allowing a leadoff double. A fly out advanced the runner to third and a walk put runners on the corners, but the long-time Lion great induced an infield popout and a swinging strikeout to end the frame. She allowed one hit in the seventh, but was able to get the tying run out twice to earn the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 2)
- Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) picked up her nation-leading eighth win in the circle, allowing only four hits, while striking out six and walking one to move to 8-2 on the season.
- Cally Pausewang (Bastrop) drove in the game's only run in the sixth inning.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)
Both teams had opportunities to score throughout the game, but strong pitching and defense shut them down. The Lions stranded a runner in scoring position in the first two innings, and LeBlanc worked out of a jam in the third with a pair of popouts after WT loaded the bases with one out.
 
Mackenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) led off the third with a bunt single, followed by a hard-hit Modrego single, but a pair of strikeouts left that pairing stuck in scoring position.
 
The Lady Buffs' aggressive strategy snuffed out their own opportunity in the sixth. After Ruby Salzman singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, Alyx Cordell had a soft-hit ball toward LeBlanc, who tagged her out on the basepath. Salzman rounded third and was tagged out after a nice throw home by LeBlanc.
 
LeBlanc walked to lead off the bottom of sixth and was pinch run for by Mairady Dempsey (Lavaca, Ark.). A hit batter and a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position with one out, when Pausewang was called on to pinch hit. With everyone in the stadium expecting the senior to attempt to hit the ball to the outfield for the sacrifice fly, she laid down a squeeze bunt with two strikes, and Dempsey slid home for the 1-0 lead.
 
LeBlanc struck out the first two Lady Buffs in the top of the seventh, and Ta'Lyn Moody (Mansfield – Legacy) stretched to make a hit-robbing grab in right field to give the Lions another shutout win.