COMMERCE – After falling behind 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the East Texas A&M University softball team walked-off Texas Southern, 6-5, to split Saturday's action at John Cain Family Softball Field as part of the East Texas A&M Leadoff, falling to South Dakota, 5-2, earlier in the day.
The Lions are 2-2 on the season, while Texas Southern fell to 0-4 and South Dakota is 3-1.
Game Two: EAST TEXAS A&M 6, TEXAS SOUTHERN 5
The first 2.5 innings were scoreless to start the game. The Lions drew first blood with a run in the second.
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) drew a walk and was pinch run for by
Kasey Kuyrkendall (Royse City), who stole second, and advanced to third on an infield single by
Maddie Cason (Honey Grove), who then stole second.
Tori Tiumalu (Indio, Calif.) drove in Kuyrkendall with a fielder's choice as the Tigers tagged out Cason at third.
TORI TIUMALU RBI HIGHLIGHT
In the bottom of the fifth,
Emma Rodrigues (Little Elm – John Paul II) hit a solo home run to right field to double the Lion lead. It was the first home run for the Lions this season and first for Rodrigues in her East Texas A&M career.
EMMA RODRIGUES HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
The Tigers scored the first run of the game in the sixth inning as Kylie Wilson hit a one-out single up the middle. Amerie Martin reached on a fielder's choice as the Lions took the force out of Wilson at second. Karisma Garcia singled to third, advancing Martin to second and DaNia Durr drove in Martin with an RBI double to left center.
The Lions responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tiumalu walked and was pinch run for by
KK Cosek (Helendale, Calif.), who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper) and scored on a double down the left field line by
Hailey Montemayor (Lubbock – Monterrey).
Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.) was hit by a pitch and pinch run for by
Emma Olsen (Elk Grove, Calif.). Both Montemayor and Olsen executed a double-steal and following a walk by
J'Lailah Dotson (Hitchcock) to load the bases,
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.) drove in Montemayor on a sacrifice fly to left.
Destiny Menchaca doubled down the left field line to lead off the seventh for the Tigers. Marisa Perla came in as a pinch hitter and singled up the middle and Kiersten Salinas also entered the game as a pinch hitter and plated both Menchaca and Perla with a two-run double to right center.
Following a pitching change, Chiara Pryor re-entered the game for Salinas and Penelope Saenz drew a walk. After two straight outs, Pryor advanced to third on a wild pitch and Garcia drew a walk to load the bases. Durr hit a two-run infield single on the eighth pitch of the at-bat and put Texas Southern in the lead for the first time. The Tigers left the bases loaded in the seventh.
Rodrigues singled through the left side on the first pitch in the bottom of the seventh and Cason hit a bunt single to first, while Rodrigues advanced to third on the play. Cason stole second and then Tiumalu singled through the left side to plate Rodrigues.
Anger walked it off with an RBI base hit to third as Cason scored the game-winning run for the Lions, which is the first non run-rule walk-off win for the Lions since 2023.
CHARLI ANGER WALK-OFF HIT HIGHLIGHT
Wilson went 3 for 4 at the top of the order for the Tigers, while both Cason and Rodrigues went 2 for 4 in the game. Cason also stole two bases.
Kate Houser (Lorena) started the game for the Lions and allowed four earned runs in six innings, while
Maddie Muller (Frisco – Memorial) recorded three outs in the seventh and got the win, walking three and striking out one. For the Tigers, Kaelani Randle pitched just 0.2 innings, but got the loss. Melonie Guardiola tossed 5.1 innings and allowed four earned runs.
Game One: SOUTH DAKOTA 5, EAST TEXAS A&M 2
Ella McGee reached on a throwing error to lead off the game and advanced to third on a groundout. Autumn Iversen drove in McGee with a base hit through the left side.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.) was hit by a pitch and was pinch run for by
Isabella Arzola (Chino, Calif.), who stole second on a strikeout. After a double down the left field line by
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.), which advanced Arzola to third,
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) plated both runners with a two-run double through the left side as a pinch hitter.
DARBY HICKEY TWO-RUN DOUBLE HIGHLIGHT
The Coyotes scored four in the sixth to take the lead once again. Clara Edwards hit a two-run double, while Tatum Vilotta hit an infield RBI single with the bases loaded and Iversen added another RBI with a single through the left side.
Four South Dakota batters recorded two hits each. McGee, Iversen, Delaney White, and Brooke Carey had multi-hit games. For the Lions, Rodrigues, Dotson, Tapia, and Hickey had one hit each.
Muller got the loss in the first game, allowing three earned runs in 5.0 innings, while Edwards picked up a complete-game win for the Coyotes, striking out six and surrendering just two hits and two earned runs.
UP NEXT
The Lions end the East Texas A&M Leadoff on Sunday at 2 p.m. against South Dakota. Tickets can be purchased at
LionAthletics.com/tickets.
-ETAMU-
