Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team dropped a 9-8 heartbreaker in 12 innings to close out the series on Saturday afternoon at H-E-B Field against the UIW Cardinals, who walked-off the first game, 9-1, in five innings to seal the series sweep.
 
The 12-inning game is tied for the longest in program history for the Lions, who are now 6-33 on the season and 0-12 in Southland play, while UIW is 20-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
 
GAME 1: UIW 9, A&M-COMMERCE 1 (Five Innings) – BOX SCORE
For the second straight game, the Lions had two runners on base with an out but could not bring them home.
 
In the bottom of the inning, the Cardinals' lead-off batter Ryleigh Mata drew a walk, Victoria Altamirano followed with a base hit to right, but the Lions were able to get the force out of Mata at second.
 
Jilian Guiterrez singled to right center and Brittany Shaw was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a Lion pitching change, Aaliyah Garcia drilled a grand slam to left field and put the first four runs of the game on the board.
 
The Lions' first run of the series came in the third. Kasey Kuyrkendall (Royse City) drew a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Isabella Arzola (Chino, Calif.). Tatum Wright (Frisco – Centennial) drove in Kuyrkendall with a double down the left field line. Two outs in the infield halted the Lions' attempt to add more runs.
 
Avalon Sanchez came in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth and doubled to left center. She advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Baylee Lemons and scored as Mata reached on a Lion fielding error.
 
After an out in the bottom of the fifth, Garcia reached on a walk and was pinch run for by Ayla Gonzales, who stole second. The Lions got a strikeout as Gonzales stole third. Dariane Cram singled to short, plating Gonzales, while Jaisy Caceras hit in infield single, and Lemons walked to load the bases, putting the run-rule clinching run on base.
 
Mata walked it off with a bases clearing three-run triple to right center.
 
Guiterrez was the lone Cardinal with two hits, while seven of the nine runs scored came on two hits, the grand slam by Garcia and the game-ending three-run triple by Mata.
 
Wright's hit that drove in Kuyrkendall was the lone hit for the Lions in the game. Maddie Muller (Frisco – Memorial) recorded just one out in the game and got the loss, allowing three earned runs, while Anissa Arredondo (San Antonio – Warren) pitched the rest of the game.

For the Cardinals, Samantha Portillo got the win, tossing the first three innings, while Annie Gunther pitched two shutout innings.
 
GAME 2: UIW 9, A&M-COMMERCE 8 (12 Innings) – BOX SCORE
Neither team scored a run through the first three innings, though both left runners on base. In the top of the fourth, Wright led off with a double to right center, she advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper), while coming around to score on a double to left center by Diamond Sefe (Carson, Calif.).
 
Brooke Hilton (Plano East) singled up the middle, as Sefe went to third, while Lencia Powell (Birdville) pinch ran for Hilton. The Lions executed a double steal as Sefe stole home and Powell went to second.
 
The Cardinals' led off the inning with a base hit by Shaw and Gonzales came in as the pinch runner. Garcia singled to left, advancing Gonzales to third, while Sanchez bunted to first, advancing both runners. Jasmine Sierra entered the game as a pinch hitter and doubled to left center, plating two runs. Cram re-entered the game and came around to score on a one-run triple to right by Lemons.
 
Ashley Diaz (Chino, Calif.) led off the top of the fifth with a triple to right center and she scored on a fielder's choice by Arzola, as the Cardinals attempted to tag out Diaz at the plate, but she was safe. The Lions had runners at first and second with one out, but could not plate them.
 
Both teams scored three runs each in the sixth to keep the game tied. Hilton doubled to right and was pinch run for by Emma Olsen (Elk Grove, Calif.). KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.) advanced Olsen to third on a sacrifice bunt and she scored on a single to center by Emmie Miehe (Cameron Park, Calif.).
 
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) came in as a pinch hitter and singled to left center, with Kuyrkendall returning to the game at first. Arzola drove in Miehe and Wright drove in Kuyrkendall with a pair of one-run singles.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Sanchez reached on an error by the Lions in the outfield, while Cram singled to short. Lemons singled through the left side, plating Sanchez, and Dominique Guerra came in as a pinch runner for Lemons. Both Cram and Guerra came around to score on a double to right center by Victoria Altamirano.
 
The Lions left a runner on base in the seventh, while the Cardinals left two in the eighth. A&M-Commerce had a runner reach second with one out in the ninth, but could not plate her. Both teams stranded a runner in the 10^th, the Lions' runner was at third with one out.
 
Wright doubled down the left field line to lead off the 11^th and Anger followed with a go-ahead two-run home run to left, her third of the season. Though, Mata singled to short to lead off the bottom of the inning and Altamirano tied the game once again with a two-run home run to center.
 
Sanchez, Cram, and Maddison Guillen hit three-straight singles to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 12^th. After a Lion pitching change, Lemons drew a four-pitch walk to drive home the game-winning run.
 
The 12-inning game is tied for the longest in program history for the Lions, who had 13 hits in the game and left 10 runners on base. Wright went 3 for 6, while Anger went 2 for 5, and Hilton went 2 for 3, while Miehe was 2 for 6.
 
For the Cardinals, Altamirano went 4 for 6 with four RBIs. Lemons, Mata, Garcia, Sanchez, and Cram had two hits each. UIW totaled 18 hits and left 12 on base.
 
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) started the game in the circle for the Lions and allowed five earned runs in six innings. Arredondo pitched the next five innings and allowed three earned runs, including being charged with the loss.
 
Larissa Jacquez started the game and returned to close it out for the Cardinals. She got the win, totaling 6.2 innings pitched and allowed four earned runs.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions are back at home on Tuesday to host UT Arlington at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.