WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Midwestern State's Katlyn Holmes weaved a five-hitter to end No. 1-ranked West Texas A&M to its first loss of the season 6-2 Friday night in Lone Star Conference play at Mustangs Park.
 
The Mustangs won their third straight game to improve to 13-8 overall and to 1-0 in league play, while WT dropped to 17-1 and 0-1.
 
The teams square off in a doubleheader Saturday at Mustangs Park. First pitches are set for 1 and 3 p.m.
 
Holmes notched five strikeouts and limited the Lady Buffs, who came into the contest as top hitting team in the league with a .376 team batting average, to a single earned run in the complete game victory to improve to 5-4 in the circle.
 
Shortstop Katy Vandewater delivered the decisive blow with a two-run homer to center field -- her seventh of the season -- to extend the MSU advantage to 4-0 in the fifth inning.
 
The junior from Arlington had already extended her season-best hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the first inning as the Mustangs took advantage of a WT fielding miscue to plate two runs in the opening frame.
 
Vandewater also delivered the defensive play of the night when she robbed Jessica Sipe of a single by ranging deep into shallow left field to snag a pop-up then used her strong arm to double-up Tyler Wilkinson at second to put a halt to a no-out, two-on threat in the top of the fourth inning.
 
MSU freshman Baylee Voigt pushed the Mustangs' advantage to 5-0 with a double down the right-field line in the fifth inning before Erin Knox came plate ward on Krisha Hamm's pinch hit sacrifice fly to center field to cap a four-run fifth inning.
 
West Texas A&M sophomore starter Hannah Newcomb (6-1) allowed four earned runs on 10 hits in five innings to take her first loss of the season after coming in with an LSC-best 0.95 ERA.
 
The Lady Buffs added single runs in the sixth and seven innings to close the final margin to four runs.
 
Midwestern State senior Kim Jerrick went 3-for-4 to pace the Mustangs' 11-hit attack, while Vandewater and Knox added two hits each.