TYLER – Taking on the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 1 seed in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, the No. 4 seeded Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team upset the No. 1 seeded UT Tyler Patriots, by a score of 5-4 in the nightcap on Saturday to clinch a berth into the LSC Tournament Championship game against Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sunday at noon at UT Tyler Ballpark. The Lions downed No. 5 seeded Angelo State Rambelles, 3-0, earlier in the day.
The Lions jumped out to a 5-1 lead over the Patriots, but UT Tyler chipped away at the lead and had the tying run at third in the sixth. After recording two outs to start the bottom of the seventh, the Patriots rallied with two straight hits. On the second hit, Maddie Melton tried to go from first to third, but a throw from left field from
MacKenzie Dugi (St. Hedwig – East Central) allowed
Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) to tag Melton at third and end the game.
A&M-Commerce is into its second LSC Tournament Championship game and both times it's been against the Javelinas. The Lions are now 41-13 on the season, reaching the 40-win mark for the third time in program history.
Both Schaefer and
Sabrina Anguiano (Riverside, Calif.) had a home run in each game. Lion pitchers
Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) and
Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) pitched gems to keep the Lions alive in the single-elimination tournament.
GAME 1 (LSC Tournament First Round): No. 4 seed A&M-Commerce 3, No. 5 seed Angelo State 0
The Lions used home runs from Anguiano and Schaefer as well as a dominant performance from LeBlanc in the circle to shut out the Rambelles, who entered the day ranked No. 7 in the country and No. 3 in the latest South Central Regional rankings.
Anguiano hit a solo home run to left center in the second to open up the scoring.
LeBlanc kept the Rambelles at bay all afternoon and received two insurances runs off the bat of Schaefer, who hit a towering home run to left. She has eight home runs in her last 16 games.
After hitting the first batter of the game, LeBlanc had a no hitter bid through 3.1 innings. She allowed just three hits and no walks. She punched out 12 and moves to 15-7 on the season.
The Lions had just five hits in the first game, but the two big hits from Anguiano and Schaefer were enough to advance the Lions to the LSC Tournament Semifinals.
Coming into Saturday, the Lions and the Patriots have played four times since UT Tyler's move up to Division II and the Patriots had won all four. The Lions got their first win over the Patriots on Saturday night.
GAME 2 (LSC Tournament Semifinals): No. 4 seed A&M-Commerce 5, No. 1 seed UT Tyler 4
The Patriots struck first with a pair of hits in the first. Shannon Klaus led off the bottom of the first with a hit, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, and a fly ball. She scored on an RBI base hit by Tatum Goff.
Trailing for the first time in the tournament, the Lions quickly tied the game in the second. Anguiano drew a walk to start the inning, moved to second on a bunt, and scored on an RBI single up the middle by
Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain).
Samantha Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) collected a bunt single to start the third and came home on the second home run of the day by Schaefer.
Anguiano made it 4-1 in the fourth with her second trip around the bases of the day.
The Patriots made a pitching change after the home run by Anguiano.
Chanlee Oakes (Emory – Rains) singled off Sarah Gartman, the new pitcher, and was pinch run for by
Alina Jasso (San Benito), who advanced to second on a bunt by Modrego and moved to third on a groundout by Dugi. With two outs in the inning and the infielders pulled in, Dutton slapped an opposite field hit over the shortstop's head to drive in Jasso.
Hanna Fradkin reached on a fielder's choice in the fourth and scored on a double by Amanda Marek. Klaus hit a single to continue the fourth, but was tagged out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double.
After a leadoff single by Audrey Escamilla and a hit by pitch drawn by Mak Dominguez, the Patriots had two on with one out in the sixth. Avery Farr came in a pinch hitter and singled up the middle to score Morgan McAlexander, who came in a pinch runner for Escamilla, and Dominguez moved to third on the play.
Otto was pulled by the Lions after the RBI single by Farr. LeBlanc was tasked with getting the final five outs. Dominguez scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-4. Hanna Fradkin re-entered the game after the pinch hit by Farr and moved to second the wild pitch, then stole third. LeBlanc was able to get a fly out to left to maintain the lead going into the seventh.
The Lions had runners at second and third in the seventh with one out, but two soft groundouts did not allow a run to be scored.
LeBlanc retired the first two batters in order in the seventh. Goff hit a two-out single through the right side and was pinch run for by Melton. Escamilla hit a single to left, but Melton was tagged out at third to end the game.
Goff got the loss in the circle for the Patriots. She allowed four earned runs in three innings, Gartman allowed one run in four innings of relief. Klaus, Goff, and Escamilla had multi-hit games for the Patriots.
Otto moves to 20-4 with the win. She was charged with all four runs in 5.1 innings. LeBlanc got her third save of the season, tossing a shutout 1.2 innings.
Schaefer went 2 for 2 in the game with two walks, while Dutton also collected two hits.
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