COMMERCE – After keeping its season alive with a 10-2 run-rule win over sixth seeded Oklahoma Christian earlier on Friday, the second seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team ended its season with a 1-0 loss to third seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville at the John Cain Family Softball Complex.
 
The win over the Eagles in the first elimination gave the Lions their 43^rd win, which is the most in program history. A&M-Commerce also won its first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship last weekend and end the season with a record of 43-15. The Lions now look ahead to being members of the Southland Conference and NCAA Division I.
 
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
 
GAME 1: No. 2 A&M-Commerce 10, No. 6 Oklahoma Christian 2 (Six Innings)
Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) earned a 10-pitch walk to leadoff the game. Leo Terry (Emory – Rains) reached on a fielder's choice with the Eagles tagging out Schaefer at second. After a single through the left side by Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy), Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) made it 3-0 in favor of the Lions with her sixth home run of the season.
 
AVERY BOLEY HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
 
Lions strung together three runs in the top of the third to increase their lead to 6-0. Chanlee Oakes (Emory – Rains) doubled to right center and scored on an RBI double by Sabrina Anguiano (Riverside, Calif.). Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain) singled up the middle and scored on an RBI base hit by MacKenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central). Anguiano also scored in the inning, she scored on a passed ball.
 
Schaefer led off the sixth with a base hit and scored on a home run to left by LeBlanc, while Modrego added another two-run home run in the inning. Alina Jasso (San Benito), who came in as a pinch runner, scored on the play.
 
ALYSSA LEBLANC HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
 
UXUA MODREGO HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
 
The Eagles were held to one hit through the first five innings, but a pair of triples to start the sixth, put their first run on the board. Abi LaValley tripled with one out and came around to score on a triple by Brooklin Bain, who scored on a ground out by Whitney Walde.
 
With two on and two out in the inning, a fly out ended the game and kept the Lions' season alive.
 
Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) tossed a complete game to collect her 21^st win of the season. She allowed three hits and both her earned runs came in the sixth. Offensively, LeBlanc and Modrego had two hits each in the game.
 
The start against Oklahoma Christian ends up being the final start in the storied career of Otto, who ends her Lion career as the leader in every major pitching statistical category in program history. The Lions made the NCAA Tournament four times with Otto in the circle, and she earned all-conference honors four times.
 
Kali Crandall took the loss for the Eagles, allowing five earned runs in 2.2 innings with four hits.
 
GAME 2: No. 3 Texas A&M-Kingsville 1, No. 2 A&M-Commerce 0
Both pitchers pitched gems in the second elimination game of the day. Texas A&M-Kingsville's Saidi Castillo struck out five and allowed five hits, while walking no one in a complete game shutout win.
 
LeBlanc was charged with just one run, while tossing a complete game, but was charged with the loss. In the sixth inning, Jory Cervantes got on base with a leadoff bunt single and she scored on a triple down the left field line that stayed just fair by Jennifer Geisey.
 
Down to their final three outs, LeBlanc hit a leadoff double in the top of the seventh, but the Lions were not able to bring her in. They left three on base in the game, while the Javelinas left four.