COMMERCE – Timely hitting throughout Saturday night at the John Cain Family Softball Field provided the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team two wins, beating Stonehill, 6-1, and Quinnipiac, 3-2.
 
The Lions are 3-1 on the season and won two games on the same day for the first time in the Division I era. A&M-Commerce had to wait until the 20^th game of the season last year to get its third win of the season. Stonehill is now 1-3 on the season and Quinnipiac is 1-1.
 
"I am proud of our team's effort tonight after having to wait around all day, due to the games being delayed," said coach Brittany Miller. "The team was ready to play from the first pitch and executed our gameplan perfectly in both games. The job is not yet done, as we have two more games to go out and win at home tomorrow."
 
A&M-COMMERCE 6, STONEHILL 1
The Skyhawks put a runner on in the first and the second, but stranded them both, while the Lions went down in order in the first. Diamond Sefe (Carson, Calif.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the second and she stole a base, while Jenna Joyce (Royse City) was walked. Both runners stole another base to put runners at second and third with no outs.
 
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) hit a double to deep right field, which allowed both Sefe and Joyce to score. Following an infield single by Ashley Diaz (Chino, Calif.), which put runners on the corners, the duo executed a double steal as Hickey stole home.
 
After a pitching change by Stonehill, Emmie Miehe (Cameron Park, Calif.) drew a walk and Tehya Pitts (Denton – Guyer) singled to the pitcher to load the bases with no outs. Isabella Arzola (Chino, Calif.) drew a bases-loaded walk, with Diaz scoring, and Ashlynn Griffith (Cedar Hill) extended the Lion lead with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Miehe. Stonehill limited the damage by getting the next two outs.
 
In the second, the Lions scored five on three hits and left one on base. Piper Hofmann reached on a Lion throwing error and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Natalie Bottiglieri. May Dawes' groundout moved Hofmann to third and she scored on a grounder by Paige Wodarski, who reached on another Lion throwing error. Despite a single to put runners at the corners, the Lions escaped with a flyout.
 
Both teams went scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper) reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a groundout by Sefe. Following a pop-out, Hickey drove in Anger with a one-run base hit to center.
 
Hickey went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in the game, accounting for three of the team's six hits. Arzola, Diaz, and Griffith had an RBI each. The Lions stole seven bases in the game with Arzola and Sefe stealing a pair each, while Joyce, Hickey, and Diaz stole one each.
 
In the circle, Maddie Muller (Frisco – Memorial) moved to 2-0 with a complete-game win. She struck out three, while allowing no earned runs as well as four hits and three walks.
 
For Stonehill, Shannon Conte, Haleigh Reed, Chloe Kelly, and Piper Hofmann had a hit each in the game. Alex Sciaretto was charged with the loss as she allowed five earned runs in one inning pitched.
 
A&M-COMMERCE 3, QUINNIPIAC 2
Following a scoreless first inning, despite the Bobcats stranding a pair, the Lions opened the scoring in the second. With two outs in the inning, KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.) reached on a fielding error and came around to score on a base hit by Miehe, as another fielding error allowed Miehe to get to second and Cosek to score.
 
Lencia Powell (Birdville) hit an infield single as Miehe scored on the throw from third, making it 2-0. Following a base hit by Pitts, Powell tried to score from second on a single by Arzola, but was tagged out at home to end the inning.
 
The Lions scored a pair on four hits and two errors in the second, leaving two on base as well.
 
Griffith led off the third with a bunt single to third. She stole second base and reached third on a wild pitch. Sefe doubled to left center to bring home Griffith.
 
Mary Fogg singled to the pitcher with an out in the top of the fifth and moved to second on a groundout by Brooke Hilliard. Natalia Apatiga singled to center, driving in Fogg. After a walk drawn by Lauren Hilliard, Abby LaClair doubled to left center, which allowed Apatiga to score, but Hilliard was tagged out at the plate.
 
The Lions had a runner at third in the sixth, but could not get her across. The Bobcats went down in order in the seventh.
 
Both Arzola and Sefe went 2 for 3 each for the Lions, who had eight hits in the game. Arzola, Griffith, and Sefe stole a base each in the game. Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) started in the circle for the Lions and got the win, going five innings and allowing two earned runs, while striking out four. Anissa Arredondo (San Antonio – Warren) threw two perfect innings for the save.
 
Apatiga had two of the six hits in the game for the Bobcats, as Sydney Horan took the loss in the circle, despite pitching a complete game and allowing only one earned run.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions close out the first weekend of the season on Sunday against Stonehill (11:30 a.m.) and Texas Southern (2 p.m.). Tickets can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.