COMMERCE – MacKenzie Dugi fell a triple shy of a cycle on Sunday afternoon at Schaeffer Park as the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team downed the Fort Lewis Skyhawks, 9-0 in five innings to win all five games at the West Texas A&M Invitational.
 
Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) doubled to start the game, singled in her second at-bat, and hit a two-run home run in her final at-bat of the game. She went 3 for 4 in the game, scoring three runs. Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) and Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) drove in three runs each.
 
In the circle, Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) tossed four shutout innings and Allison Gonzalez (South Padre Island – Port Isabel) pitched a scoreless fifth.
 
"We had a great weekend," said interim head coach Gay McNutt. We corrected some things from last weekend, and we all feel really good about this team."

"Today, Otto threw another good game, allowing Gonzalez to come in to close again. Dugi, LeBlanc, and Boley had eight RBIs combined, it is hard to lose when you're hitting the way we're hitting."
 
The Lions won four of the five games this weekend via the run-rule and have won six games in a row. A&M-Commerce is 12-4 on the season, while the Skyhawks fall to 0-9 on the season.
 
This weekend the Lions batted .415 as a team, with 10 home runs, and scored 62 runs. The Lion pitching staff recorded an ERA of 2.07 over 27.0 innings and punched out 37 batters.
 
Dugi led off the game with a double to center. After two outs, she scored on a two-run home run by LeBlanc, who had eight RBIs this weekend. Dugi batted .692 this weekend.
 
ALYSSA LEBLANC HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
 
The Lions drew two straight walks with two outs, but the Skyhawks got a pop out to end the threat.
 
Otto got two strikeouts and a pop out in the bottom of the first.
 
The Lions scored four runs on four hits in the second and left two on base. Alina Jasso (San Benito) was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a single by Dugi. After a bunt single by Leo Terry (Emory – Rains) to load the bases, Ayanna Williams (Round Rock – Cedar Ridge) drew a bases loaded walk that scored Jasso.
 
LeBlanc followed with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Dugi and Boley hit a single to right to drive in Williams and Terry. Boley had seven RBIs and a home run this weekend. The Lions once again had two runners on with two outs, but ended the inning with a strikeout.
 
Three straight singles loaded the bases for the Skyhawks in the bottom of the second with no outs. Otto forced a pop out, a ground out on which the Lions chose to get the out at home, and a strikeout in which she battled back from a 3-0 count to end the threat.
 
A&M-Commerce went down in order in the top of the third. Otto hit a batter in the bottom of the third with two outs, but worked around it with a pop out.
 
Williams reached on an error in the fourth and advanced to second on a ground out by LeBlanc. Boley drove in Williams once again with a double to right center. The Lions left a runner at third to end the inning.
 
Otto gave up a lead-off single in the fourth, but got out of the inning with two strikeouts. She pitched four innings of shutout ball to collect her sixth win of the season. She allowed four hits and a hit batter, while fanning five.
 
The Lions needed one more run in the top of the fifth to put the run-rule in effect, and they got two thanks to a two-run home run by Dugi. Delaney Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) came in as a pinch hitter, reached on a fielder's choice, and scored on the home run to right field by Dugi.
 
MACKENZIE DUGI HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
 
Gonzalez surrendered two hits to give the Skyhawks runners at second and third with one out in the fifth, but responded by forcing two pop outs to end the game. She had one strikeout in the inning as well.
 
Avery Boley and Dugi had multi-hit games. Samantha Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) pinch ran for Boley in the third and stole a base.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions have a nine-day break until hosting Southeastern Oklahoma State on March 1 for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. before starting Lone Star Conference play on March 4 at Eastern New Mexico.