COMMERCE, Texas -- Midwestern State's Katelyn Vinson launched her 13th homer of the season to key a 5-4 win over Texas A&M-Commerce in Game 1 Friday night at John Cain Family Softball Field.

The junior from Southlake drilled the first pitch she saw in the third inning over the left-field fence for a three-run shot to extend the MSU advantage to 4-0.

It was Vinson's 48th career long ball as she delivered her fourth homer in her last eight games, but the Mustangs would have to hold on.

Texas A&M-Commerce struck back for two runs in the fourth inning on December Rivers' two-run blast after Tyler Oppenheim reached on an infield single to pull the Lions to within 4-2.

Midwestern scrapped for a run in the fifth on the strength of Kelley Scahefer's sacrifice fly to plate Erin Knox to put the Mustangs up by three at 5-2.

Knox, who also started in the circle, allowed just a pair of hits and three base runners over the first four inning but began to struggle with her command in the fifth.

A&M-Commerce's Monica Cherry reached on a one-out bunt single and advanced to second when Magen Lynch was credited with a two-out sacrifice bunt. Cherry cashed in the run by stealing and scoring on MSU catcher Emily Lasky's throwing error.

Knox walked Oppenheim and hit Rivers with a pitch before bailing out of the inning when Luci Ponce rolled out to second base.

Knox walked the first two batters she faced in the sixth inning before leaving in favor of sophomore Katlyn Holmes.

Holmes yielded a single to left field off the bat of Kylene Hatton to load the bases, then forced in a run on a walk allowing the Lions to pull within 5-4 with no outs and the bases loaded.

She settled to strike out Cherry and induced consecutive pop-ups to end the threat in the sixth.

Holmes retired Texas A&M-Commerce in order in the seventh to notch her second save of the season allowing one run and a walk in two innings of relief.

Knox earned the win to move to 6-5 allowing three earned runs on three hits with five walks and three strikeouts in five innings.

Junior Paige Stevens and Howerton had two hits each to pace MSU's six-hit attack.