THE RUNDOWN
ODESSA – The MSU Texas softball team rode a power surge to a doubleheader sweep over UT Permian Basin in its Lone Star Conference opener on Saturday. The Mustangs took the opener 9-1 in six innings and finished off the nightcap with an 18-5 rout of the Falcons.
 
Junior second baseman Samantha Loos had a stellar day at the dish. The Udall, Kan., product finished the day 4-for-7 with three dingers, nine RBI and five runs scored. Sophomore outfielder Lauren Lindgren got going offensively in game two, going 3-for-5 with two round-trippers and five RBI.
 
MSU wasted no time getting the offense going in the first game of the afternoon. With two outs in the top of the first, senior third baseman Kelcee Thompson belted her second dinger of the season on a solo shot to left, staking the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.
 
The Mustangs kept the offense rolling in the top of the second. Senior catcher Amanda Thomas singled down the right field line but was replaced by freshman shortstop Caycee Griffin following a fielder's choice. Lindgren answered with a single to left and junior outfielder Tucker Caraway wore a pitch to load the bases. Loos opened her home run parade with the team's first grand slam of the season, extending the lead to 5-0 for the Maroon and Gold.
 
Junior starting pitcher Riley Adams tossed a complete game three-hitter with four strikeouts to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Roseville, Calif., product kept the Falcons off balance and more importantly, off the scoreboard through her first five innings of work.
 
With Adams putting up zeroes in the circle, MSU gave the starter insurance in the top of the sixth to put the game out of reach. Griffin led off the inning with a solo shot, her first of the season. Later in the frame, Caraway and Loos went back-to-back with two out jacks to give the Mustangs a 9-0 lead.
 
Loos became the first player since Erin Knox to hit multiple home runs in a game, a feat Knox accomplished against Texas A&M-Commerce on April 8, 2016.
 
The Falcons avoided the shutout in the bottom of the sixth. Alyssa Lopez singled with one out before advancing to second on a wild pitch. A groundout allowed Lopez to move up to third before she came home to score on another wild pitch.
 
In game two, the Maroon and Gold capitalized on an early scoring opportunity to break the scoring seal. Eropkin legged out a one-out double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Thompson lifted a fly ball to center, deep enough for Eropkin to trot home and score on the sacrifice fly.
 
After a back-and-forth affair through the first three innings, MSU broke the game open in the top of the fifth, plating five runs. Junior DP Carli Woolsey doubled down the right field line to lead off the inning and moved up to third on a sacrifice bunt from Thomas. Griffin drove home Woolsey on a single back through the middle before coming home on Lindgren's first home run of the day, pushing the MSU lead to 7-2. Caraway responded with a two-out single through the left side when Loos belted her third home run of the series.
 
The Mustangs batted around in the top of the seventh, hitting for the cycle as a team in the inning alone. Loos brought home two on a double and Thompson plated another pair of runs on a bases-clearing triple. Lindgren's three-run tater followed by senior infielder Taylor Brintzenhoff's solo job capped off a nine-spot for the Mustangs.
 
Junior Abbie Lancaster earned the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. The right-hander surrendered four runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts over the final five innings to clinch the win for MSU.

GAME ONE NOTES
- Midwestern State hit five home runs and had six of its nine hits go for extra bases in the opening 9-1 win over the Falcons. The five long balls were the fifth-most in a single game in program history. The school record of six homers was last accomplished on Feb. 27, 2016 against Eastern New Mexico.
- Second baseman Samantha Loos hit her team-leading third and fourth home runs of the season against the Falcons. It was the first multi-home run game for the Mustangs since Kelsey Knox hit a pair against Texas A&M-Commerce on April 8, 2016.
- Starting pitcher Riley Adams improved to 3-0, tossing the first complete game of the season for the Maroon and Gold. Adams worked five scoreless frames before giving up a run in the sixth, fanning a season-high four.
 
GAME TWO NOTES
- The Mustangs pounded out a season-high 18 runs on 22 hits in the 18-5 victory over the Falcons in the nightcap.
- It's the third-straight 2-0 start in Lone Star Conference play for the Mustangs. In 2016 and 2017, MSU opened league play with a 2-0 record before dropping the series finales to ENMU and UTPB, respectively.
- Six different MSU players had multi-hit performances in the win. Woolsey, Lindgren, Brintzenhoff and Caraway all finished with a season-best three hits.
- Senior pitcher Gracie Bogle got the start in the circle. She gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the first two innings.
- Junior pitcher Abbie Lancaster earned the win, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts over the final 5.0 innings.
- Senior Kelcee Thompson and Amanda Thomas both hit triples, the first multi-triple game for MSU this season.
- Sophomore Lauren Lindgren had her first career multi-home run game, going 3-for-5 with five RBI.
 
UP NEXT
Midwestern State is back on the diamond Sunday, Feb. 18 in the series finale with the Falcons. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.