KINGSVILLE, Texas -- Midwestern State needed a four-game sweep of Texas A&M-Kingsville to keep its Lone Star Conference postseason hopes alive Friday at Hubert Field.

The Mustangs were off to a good start in taking series opener 7-5, but the Javelinas took the nightcap 8-5 to end MSU chances of reaching next weekend's postseason tournament.

Midwestern (23-23, 10-16) will need to win at least one game over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Saturday to keep its 11-year run of .500-or-better season alive as the teams play a regular season ending twin bill at 1 and 3 p.m.

Senior third baseman Kelley Schaefer remained red hot extending her hitting streak to eight games by collecting safeties in both games as she connected on her 10th homer of the season to lead off the second inning of Game 1. It was her sixth homer during the streak and tied the game at 1-1.

The Mustangs added another run in the second before taking control with a three-run spurt in the fourth as Taylor Bermudes was hit by a pitchand scored on Erin Knox's pinch-hit double down the left-field line. Junior Chelsey Wall followed with her first homer of the season to left-center field to give MSU a 5-2 advantage.

Texas A&M-Kingsville chipped back to within a run plating single tallies in the fourth and fifth frames before Midwestern pieced together five consecutive singles to leadoff off the sixth including back-to-back RBIs by Knox and Wall.

Knox earned the win in the circle to improve to 8-7 on the season allowing three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings in relief of Tayler Jerrick, who permitted a pair of runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Knox joined Haley Howerton, Shelby Carter and Wall with two hits each to pace the Mustangs' 12-hit attack.

Midwestern jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 2 on the strength of run-scoring singles by Katy Vandewater and Howerton in the first two innings of play.

Texas A&M-Kingsville answered with a five-run third inning and the Mustangs were unable to climb back to any closer than a single run at 5-4 in the third and 6-5 in the sixth.

Howerton legged out three infield singles while Katelyn Vinson, Schaefer and Vandewater added two hits each for the Mustangs.

Texas A&M-Kingsville moved to 15-26-1 on the season and went o 6-18-1 in league play.