COMMERCE – A one-hit 2-0 shutout of the South Dakota Coyotes in the nightcap helped the East Texas A&M University softball team split the first two games of the season after falling to South Dakota State, 9-0, earlier in the day on Friday at the John Cain Family Softball Complex.
 
The Lions are 1-1 on the season following the first two games. The win over the Coyotes avoided just the second 0-2 start in program history. South Dakota went 1-1 on Friday, while South Dakota State went 2-0 on the first day of the East Texas A&M Leadoff.
 
Game Two: EAST TEXAS A&M 2, SOUTH DAKOTA 0
South Dakota had just one hit in the game, and it was the first batter of the game as Ella McGee hit an infield single.
 
The Lions left three runners combined the first two innings, but scored the first run of the season in the third.
 
Maddie Cason (Honey Grove) hit a bunt single to third and advance to third on a throwing error. Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper) moved Cason to third on a sacrifice bunt and Hailey Montemayor (Lubbock – Monterrey) drove in Cason with another sacrifice bunt.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.) singled through the right side and was pinch run for by Neveah Terrell (Pennsauken, N.J.). J'Lailah Dotson (Hitchcock) came in as a pinch hitter and reached on a fielding error as Terrell advanced to second.
 
Following a pop out, Emma Rodrigues (Little Elm – John Paul II) advanced both runners on a fly ball and Terrell scored on a wild pitch.
 
Kate Houser (Lorena) tossed a complete-game shutout to pick up her first win as a Lion, striking out five and walking two. Madison Evans got the loss for South Dakota, allowing just one unearned run in four innings.  
 
Game One: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 9, EAST TEXAS A&M 0 (Six Innings)
Despite the game being scoreless through the first four innings, the Jackrabbits left eight runners on base, and capitalized with seven runs in the fifth, adding two more in the sixth.
 
Brooke Dumont hit a home run to left center for the first run of the game. Following three walks in a row, Emma Christensen singled to right to drive in a run, while Alissa Wernz scored on a wild pitch. With the bases still loaded, Mia Jarecki singled to right to plate a run and Akayla Bernard singled to left to plate another.
 
Abby Gentry drew a bases-loaded walk and Jarecki came around to score on a wild pitch to cap off a seven-run, four-hit inning for the Jackrabbits, who brought 12 batters to the plate in the inning.
 
In the sixth inning, Cailtyn Wells hit a pinch-hit RBI double, and Christensen scored on another RBI base hit by Jarecki, who went 3 for 5 in the game, while Christensen went 2 for 3.
 
For the Lions, Rodrigues had two of the team's three hits in the game and went 3 for 5 on the day. KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.) had the other hit for the Lions.
 
In the circle, Tayler Baker got the win for the Jackrabbits, tossing five shutout innings with nine strikeouts, while Maddie Muller (Frisco – Memorial) got the loss for the Lions, being charged with two earned runs in 4.1 innings.   
 
UP NEXT
The Lions continue the East Texas A&M Leadoff on Saturday against the Coyotes at 4:30 p.m. and Texas Southern at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at LionAthletics.com/Tickets.