COMMERCE – All nine runs on Saturday afternoon at the John Cain Family Softball Complex came via the long ball as the East Texas A&M University softball team slugged three home runs in the 6-3 win to seal the series sweep over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders.
The Lions picked up their first sweep in Southland Conference play since joining the SLC and are now 3-3 in conference play, surpassing the conference wins total from a season ago. East Texas A&M is 7-21 on the season, while the Islanders fall to 7-19 overall and 1-5 in SLC action.
Neither team managed a hit through the first two innings of the game until an infield single by CJ Castilla to lead off the top of the third. Katelyn Crossman advanced Castilla to second on a sacrifice bunt and then Castilla stole third. Paolina Baez followed with a two-run home run to left center, putting the Islanders in front.
In the bottom of the third,
Emmie Miehe (Cameron Park, Calif.) led off the inning with a home run to right. The first career home run for the junior infielder.
EMMIE MIEHE HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
The Lions stranded a runner at third to end the third inning. Crystal Davila homered to left center in the fourth to put the Islanders back up by two.
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.) drew a seven-pitch walk with an out in the fourth and was pinch run for by
Kasey Kuyrkendall (Royse City), who then stole second. After a strikeout,
Tatum Wright (Frisco – Centennial) hit her second home run of the weekend, this one to center and tied the game at three.
TATUM WRIGHT HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
The Lions left a runner on base in the fourth as well. The Islanders left two on base in the fifth and in the bottom of the fifth,
Emma Rodrigues (Little Elm – John Paul II) hit a one-out triple to right center.
Maddie Cason (Honey Grove) hit a bunt single to put runners at the corners with one out and
Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper) drilled the team-leading fifth home run of the season on the first pitch, this one to right center, to put the Lions ahead for the first time.
CHARLI ANGER HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
The Islanders left a runner on base in the sixth as well and the Lions had a runner at second with no outs in the sixth but could not bring the run across.
After a flyout and a strikeout to start the top of the seventh, the Islanders put two on base via a pair of base hits.
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) collected her sixth strikeout of the game to pick up the win.
Sanchez went 2-0 in the circle this series and on Saturday, she tossed the seven-inning complete game. Monee Montilla went 3 for 3 for the Islanders, but did not come around to score once in the game.
Siarah Galvan got the loss for the Islanders, being charged with six earned runs in 4.2 innings.
Wright went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs in the game. On the weekend, she batted 6 for 7 with two home runs and eight RBIs. Anger batted 4 for 5 with a pair of home runs as well as five RBIs in the series and Cason went 6 for 10 at the plate and scored four runs this weekend. Miehe also went 2 for 3 in Saturday's game.
POST GAME INTERVIEW
UP NEXT
The Lions head up to Norman, Oklahoma, on Wednesday to face the four-time defending national champion Oklahoma at 6:30 p.m. and resume conference play at Lamar next Friday-Saturday.
-ETAMU-
