SAN ANGELO – A two-run double by Sabrina Anguiano was enough for the No. 21 Texas A&M University-Commerce to take Sunday's game two by a score of 2-1, behind a complete game gem from Emily Otto and earn a split against the No. 13 ranked Angelo State Rambelles, who took the first game by a score of 13-2 in five innings in a scorching afternoon at Mayer Stadium.
 
The Lions went 3-1 this weekend, taking on two teams that are ranked top 15 nationally on the road, and improved to 29-7 on the season. A&M-Commerce holds a Lone Star Conference record of 14-2, which puts the Lions in sole possession of first place by one game. Angelo State is 25-7 overall and 10-6 in Lone Star Conference games.
 
Otto (Lamar Consolidated) battled one of the top offenses in the country for 111 pitches with the on-field temperature well over 90 degrees and a blistering wind, but allowed just one run to earn her 13^th win of the season.


POSTGAME INTERVIEW
 
GAME 1: No. 13 Angelo State 13, No. 21 A&M-Commerce 2 (Five Innings)
The Lions, with two outs in the first, put together a string of three straight hitters reaching base, two on hits and one on a walk. Ayanna Williams (Round Rock – Cedar Ridge) drove in Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) for the first run of the day.
 
Eight batters came to plate for the Rambelles in the bottom of the first. Three straight walks and a hit by pitch allowed two runs to score. Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) got two strikeouts in a row to leave the bases loaded.
 
After a 1-2-3 inning for the Lions in the top half of the second, the Rambelles poured it on with nine runs on eight hits and one error. The Lions recorded five outs in the inning as two Angelo State hitters struck out but reached on a wild pitch for strike three. Madison Fernandez had a two-run single as did Bailey Martinez, and Maleya Burns had a two-run double. A run scored on a wild pitch by the Lions, and another scored on a fielding error.
 
Chanlee Oakes (Emory – Rains) came in relief of LeBlanc in the second. LeBlanc snapped her streak of winning 10 straight starts and fell to 10-3 on the season. She was charged with eight earned runs. Oakes pitched the remaining 2.1 innings, allowing three earned runs and recording one strikeout.
 
The Lions added their second run of the game in the fourth on a RBI base knock up the middle by Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain), allowing Williams to score from second. The Lions had two on with one out in the fourth, but could not muster up any more runs.
 
Ashlyn Lerma, the conference leader in stolen bases, showcased her speed in the fourth with an inside the park home run and Ashlynn Box drilled a ball through the wind for a home run to center. The Lions put a runner in the fifth, but could not get the margin below eight runs and snapped their seven game winning streak.
 
Genesis Armendariz got the win for the Rambelles, allowing two earned runs in four innings and striking out eight. Lerma went 4 for 4 in the game with four runs scored.
 
GAME 2: No. 21 A&M-Commerce 2, No. 13 Angelo State 1
Both teams went down in order in the first inning. Williams reached on an error to start the second and moved to second on a single by Alina Jasso (San Benito). Anguiano (Riverside, Calif.) hit a two-run double to left, which allowed both Williams and Jasso to score easily.
 
The Rambelles put two on with out in the bottom of the second, but Otto collected two strikeouts to end the inning. The Lions loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the third, but could not pad their lead.
 
A pair of walks in the bottom of the fifth by Otto gave Angelo State runners at first and second with two outs and an RBI single up the middle by Lerma brought in Martinez to make it a one-run game. With two on and the reigning National Hitter of the Week, Peyton Scheurer, at the plate, Otto forced a fly out on the first pitch to end the inning.
 
The Lions had two more runners on base in the sixth, but a groundout left them on base. In the bottom of the sixth, Otto worked around a two-out walk to head to the seventh.
 
Both teams went down in order in the seventh. Otto collected another strikeout to end the game and earn her 13^th win of the season.
 
MacKenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) had two hits in game two, as did Anguiano. No Rambelle had a multi-hit game in game two. Otto allowed four hits and three walks, while collecting six punch outs. Torrey Hogan drops to 9-4 on the season, allowing just one earned run in five innings of work.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions open up a six-game homestand over five days this week. A&M-Commerce hosts Henderson State for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. on Wednesday and welcomes Texas A&M International and No. 9 Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday and Sunday, respectively.