COMMERCE – Scoring first in both games, the UIW Cardinals took both ends of Friday's doubleheader by scores of 2-0 and 17-3 in five innings over the East Texas A&M University softball team at John Cain Family Softball Complex.
The Lions remain in eighth place in the Southland Conference standings with seven games to go, holding a two-game lead. East Texas A&M is now 9-34 overall and 5-15 in SLC action, while UIW is now 24-15 overall and 14-6 in SLC play.
Game One: UIW 2, EAST TEXAS A&M 0
Victoria Altamirano doubled to right field to lead off the game and she came around to score as Dominique Guerra reached on a Lion throwing error. In the top of the fourth, Jillian Gutierrez homered to left to lead off the inning.
The Lions had seven hits in the game and left all seven runners on base.
Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.) and
Isabella Arzola (Chino, Calif.) both went 3 for 4 in the game.
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) tossed the complete game and allowed just one earned run but got the loss.
UIW left 10 runners on base with Altamirano going 2 for 2 in the leadoff spot and drew two walks. Larissa Jacquez picked up the complete-game shutout win in the circle, striking out 12.
Game Two: UIW 17, EAST TEXAS A&M 3 (Five Innings)
Altamirano homered to center field to lead off the second game. Erin Perez homered to left with an out in the third, which sparked a nine-run third inning for the Cardinals.
Prisais Quintero had a two-run double, Ayla Gonzales had an infield one-run single, and Perez hit a bases-clearing three-run double in the inning.
In the bottom of the third,
Emma Rodrigues (Little Elm – John Paul II) led off the inning with a solo home run to left, her seventh of the season.
EMMA RODRIGUES HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
The Cardinals scored seven runs in the fourth inning, all coming with two outs. Altamirano had a one-run triple to right center, Gonzales picked up an RBI on a bunt single, Perez collected another RBI on an RBI single, Gutierrez hit a two-run double, and Quintero hit a two-run single in the inning.
Emmie Miehe (Cameron Park, Calif.) doubled to left with an out in the bottom of the fourth and stole third as
Nevaeh Terrell (Pennsauken, N.J.) drew a walk. After a strikeout, Miehe scored on an infield RBI single by Arzola.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.) doubled to right center and was pinch run for by
Kasey Kuyrkendall (Royse City), who advanced to third on a foul fly out, and scored on an infield RBI single by
Maddie Cason (Honey Grove).
Perez went 3 for 4 for the Cardinals, while Altamirano, Gonzales, Gutierrez, and Quintero had two hits each in the game. The Lions had six hits in the game.
Samantha Portillo collected six strikeouts in the five-inning win, allowing three earned runs.
Maddie Muller (Frisco – Centennial) allowed five earned runs in 3.2 innings to get the loss for the Lions.
UP NEXT
The two teams close out the series at noon on Saturday. The Lions will honor all alums in attendance prior to the game and hold the annual Easter Egg Hunt following the game. Tickets can be purchased at
LionAthletics.com/tickets.
-ETAMU-
