LAKE CHARLES, La. – Fighting till the last out of the season, the East Texas A&M University softball team came up short in a 6-5 loss to the Lamar Cardinals on Friday afternoon at the Cowgirl Diamond to end its run in the Southland Conference tournament.
The Lions entered the top of the seventh trailing by five, came within one with no outs, and had the game-tying run at second with one out, but could not tie the game. East Texas A&M ends its season with a record of 10-42 on the season, the most wins for the program in its Division I era. This season was also the program's first appearance in the conference tournament in the Division I era.
Three of the four games between the Lions and the Cardinals this season were decided by one run as Lamar took all four games in the series this year. Overall, the Lions suffered 10 one-run losses this season. The Cardinals improved to 29-26 on the season and remains alive in the SLC Tournament, facing another elimination game on Saturday.
The Cardinals left a runner on base in the first and despite a double play turned by the Lions in the second, Lamar still stranded two, while the Lions had just one baserunner through the first three innings.
In the bottom of the third, Gracee Hess led off the inning with a base hit to left and Jayne Sepulveda followed with a single up the middle. Trinity Brandon reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with no outs and then Veronica Harrison drove in Hess with a sacrifice fly to center. Cala Wilson plated two more with a double down the right field line as Brandon and Sepulveda came around to score.
After an infield pop out, Sicily Windham singled to center as Wilson came around to score. Lamar had four hits in the inning.
Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.) drew a walk with an out in the fourth and
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) singled up the middle and was pinch run for by
Kasey Kuyrkendall (Royse City). After a strikeout,
Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper) drew a walk to load the bases and
Emmie Miehe (Cameron Park, Calif.) also walked on four pitches as Wilcox scored the first Lion run of the game.
EMMIE MIEHE BASES-LOADED WALK HIGHLIGHT
In the bottom of the fourth, Kalie Amos singled up the middle to lead off the inning. After a fly out and an infield line out, Brandon doubled deep to left field as Amos scored all the way from first.
Amos singled to left to lead off the bottom of the sixth with a base hit to left, but she was tagged out at second on the next play as Hess reached on a fielder's choice. A ground out advanced her to second and after a Lion pitching change, Brandon drew a walk. Both Brandon and Hess advanced to third on a wild pitch as Harrison singled to left and Hess scored, while Brandon was tagged out at the plate to end the inning.
The Lions' rally in the top of the seventh began with
Isabella Arzola (Chino, Calif.) singling up the middle and
Maddie Cason (Honey Grove) reaching on a fielding error.
Emma Rodrigues (Little Elm – John Paul II) singled to right center as Arzola scored, while Cason advanced to third.
EMMA RODRIGUES RBI SINGLE HIGHLIGHT
Tatum Wright (Frisco – Centennial) drilled a three-run home run to straight center to bring the Lions within one as Cason and Rodrigues also scored on the play. It was Wright's 12
th home run of the season.
TATUM WRIGHT HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
The Cardinals made a pitching change and after a pop out, Hickey drilled a double to left center, serving as the game-tying run at second base with one out. Lamar used two infield pop outs to strand the runner at second and kept its season alive.
Rodrigues went 2 for 3 for the Lions, while Hickey went 2 for 4. On the Cardinals' side, Sepulveda and Amos had two hits each.
In the circle,
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) got the loss for the Lions, surrendering six earned runs in 5.2 innings and for the Cardinals, Madison Guillory got the win for the Cardinals, allowing four earned runs in six innings. Mallory Pitre came in to get the save following the home run by Wright in the seventh. She allowed one hit, while collecting her fourth save of the season.
Friday marked the final collegiate games for Lion seniors Cason, Hickey, Sanchez, Kuyrkendall,
Kate Houser (Lorena), and
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.).
-ETAMU-
