THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State swept Southwestern Oklahoma State in its 2019 home opener on Tuesday at Mustangs Park. MSU Texas claimed a 6-5 win in the day's first game before rallying for a 9-6 win in Game No. 2.
 
GAME ONE
Senior outfielder Tucker Caraway went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs scored and senior pitcher Misty Muniz fanned a career-high seven to help the Mustangs to a 6-5 win.
 
MSU Texas struck for three runs in the bottom of the first to grab an early advantage. Caraway roped a leadoff triple into the right field corner and junior outfielder Kelsey Eropkin followed with a double down the line to break the scoring seal.
 
A miscue on the throw from Bulldogs catcher Samantha Householder to pitcher Kaytlin Donaldson allowed Eropkin to move up to third before coming in to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior outfielder Lauren Lindgren.
 
Back-to-back walks to sophomore Caycee Griffin and senior Carli Woolsey put two aboard when an error loaded the bases. Freshman Ashley Turner lifted a sacrifice fly to left, plating Griffin and giving the Maroon and Gold a 3-0 edge.
 
Allyson Gafford got a run back for SWOSU in the top of the second on a leadoff homer to left, but another Bulldogs miscue allowed MSU Texas to push the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the frame. A walk to Caraway, a fielder's choice paired with an error and an infield single loaded the bases. Griffin lined a single into left to plate Caraway for the second time.
 
Three more SWOSU errors pushed across two more runs for the Mustangs in the bottom of the third. After a walk to Turner and single from freshman Bailey Wamsley, the duo completed a double steal to move into scoring position. Freshman Daylan Inkman hit a chopper back to the pitcher, but a dropped throw at first allowed the first run of the frame to score. An RBI groundout from Eropkin gave MSU Texas a 6-1 edge.
 
The Bulldogs stormed back, scoring a pair of runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to have a puncher's chance in the top of the seventh.
 
Senior Abbie Lancaster loaded the bases on 12-pitches in the top of the seventh to put the go-ahead run on base. A fielder's choice cut a run down at the plate for the first out and a sacrifice fly cut the lead to one, 6-5.
 
Griffin closed the contest with a strong throw from short, just beating Jessica Carmo to secure the win.
 
Muniz picked up her second win of the season to improve to 2-1. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits with four walks while striking out a season-high seven.
 
Lancaster earned her second save of the year and seventh in her career with two no-hit frames to end the contest.
 
GAME ONE NOTES
- Midwestern State allowed a season-low four hits in a 6-5 win against Southwestern Oklahoma State
- The Mustangs snapped an 11-game home losing streak
- Senior Misty Muniz earned her second win of the season with a career-high seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work
- Senior Abbie Lancaster earned her seventh career save, matching Brittany Willson (2004-06) for the second-most in program history
- Senior Tucker Caraway went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs scored
 
GAME TWO
The Mustangs scored a run in every inning in the nightcap, striking for a four-spot in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead in a 9-6 victory.
 
Lindgren went 2-for-3 with a home run, triple, two RBI and two runs scored while Woolsey and Muniz added multi-hit performances with a pair of home runs.
 
After giving up the lead in the top of the sixth, 6-5, Lindgren lined a two-run laser over the wall in left-center to take the lead. Griffin followed two batters later with a two-run job of her own to extend the lead to 9-6.
 
MSU Texas scored one run in each of the first five frames to hold a 5-3 lead going into the sixth.
 
Caraway walked the bases-loaded with two outs before Householder lined a triple into the right-center alley to briefly give the Bulldogs their first lead of the day.
 
Muniz came on in relief of Caraway in the top of the seventh and induced a pair of groundouts and a strikeout to earn her first career save.
 
Lancaster was tagged with a no-decision, giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
 
Caraway earned the win to improve to 1-1 while Muniz tossed a scoreless seventh to secure her first career save.
 
Gafford went 3-for-4 for SWOSU, scoring two runs and hitting a double.
 
GAME TWO NOTES
- MSU Texas doubled its home win total from 2018 with a game two win
- The Mustangs matched a season-high with four home runs (Lindgren, Griffin, Woolsey, Muniz)
- Junior Lauren Lindgren gave the Mustangs the lead with a two-run, two-out home run in the bottom of the sixth
- Senior Carli Woolsey doubled her 2018 home run total with her fourth bomb in the first nine games
- Sophomore Caycee Griffin passed her 2018 home run total, hitting her fourth home run in the first nine games
- Senior Misty Muniz earned her first career save
 
UP NEXT
MSU Texas returns to the diamond on Fri., Feb. 15, with a three-game set on the road against Texas A&M-Commerce to open Lone Star Conference play. The Maroon and Gold meet the Lions at 6 p.m. on Friday before Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader.