WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- Megan Ayala was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Midwestern State held a 3-2 lead going into the seventh inning at Mustangs Park on Thursday afternoon, but No. 2-ranked West Texas A&M scored six runs in its final at bat to complete a three-game sweep of MSU. The Lady Buffs won the opening game of the doubleheader 10-1 in five innings and took the nightcap, 8-3.
Game 1: West Texas A&M 10, Midwestern State 1
Freshman pitcher
Elizabeth Uhl held West Texas A&M to one run in the first inning, but Lauren Granger hit a two-run double in as part of a four-run second inning, and the Lady Buffs took a 5-0 lead.
Uhl threw back-to-back scoreless innings before the Lady Buffs scored five runs on four hits in the fifth inning, including another two-run double from Granger, to take a 10-0 lead.
Heidi Vortherms (8-0) allowed just one hit and worked around five walks through four innings to earn the win in the circle for the Lady Buffs.
Ashley Mandell pitched the fifth inning and gave up an RBI triple to
Allie Monroe for the Mustangs' only run of the game.
Monroe has a team-leading 17 RBIs and two triples this season.
Uhl (1-5) allowed eight earned runs on eight hits with three walks and threw 60 of 100 pitches for strikes.
Game 2: West Texas A&M 8, Midwestern State 3
Monroe drew a two-out walk from WT starting pitcher Emilee Boyer in the first inning and scored on
Megan Ayala's double to left field as MSU took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap.
Diana Murtha, the leading hitter in the Lone Star Conference, tied the game for WT with a sacrifice fly to left field in the third inning.
Midwestern reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third, when
Paige Gallegos drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on a Monroe grounder. A fielding error by WT shortstop Madison Johnson allowed Ayala to reach base, and Gallegos advanced to third base.
Myranda Jimenez laid down a sacrifice bunt and throwing by the third baseman, Murtha, allowed Gallegos to score. Midwestern State reclaimed the lead 2-1.
Boyer drove home Brittani Rufus from second base with an RBI single to left field, and West Texas A&M tied the game in the fifth inning, 2-2.
Mikey Dominguez hit an RBI double to left field scoring
Grace Martinez, who was pinch running for Jimenez after a lead-off single in the sixth inning, and the Mustangs took a 3-2 lead into the final inning.
In the seventh inning, the Lady Buffs put the game out of reach with six runs on three hits, taking advantage of five walks in the inning. Murtha led off the inning with her sixth home run of the season to tie the game, 3-3.
Kennedy Cameron faced the final three batters and recorded two strikeouts to end the inning.
Isabella Garcia and
Megan Ayala each hit singles in the bottom of the seventh but were left stranded.
Boyer (8-1) worked six innings and allowed three runs on three hits with five walks and five strikeouts for the Lady Buffs.
Zoey Isom (0-2) threw 142 pitches — 71 for strikes — over six innings and allowed six runs on 11 hits with 10 walks and three strikeouts in her third start of the season.
--MSUMustangs.com--
