DENTON, Texas -- Midwestern State is on the road this weekend to face Texas Woman's at Dianne Baker Field. The Mustangs and Pioneers play a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at 3 and 5 p.m. before closing the series with a single game on Monday beginning at 2 p.m.


SERIES HISTORY | Midwestern State and TWU meet for the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th time this week. MSU is 35-26 in the all-time series and has won four of the last seven meetings. The Mustangs took the final two games of a three-game series last season. The Pioneers won the opening game, 9-0, as Alyssa LeBlanc pitched a one-hit, complete-game shutout and hit a home run for TWU. Zoe Isom threw her second complete game of the season and held the Pioneers to two runs on nine hits in a 3-2 victory in the second game of the series. In the series finale, Midwestern State overcame a 4-0 deficit by scoring five runs in the fifth inning and held on to beat LeBlanc. Sydney Gonzales started in the circle and worked around eight walks over 3 2/3 innings. Gonzales allowed two runs on two hits. Kennedy Cameron came on in relief and struck out five Pioneers through 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks.
 

Mustangs Notes

- Midwestern State (4-23, 2-16 LSC) was swept by No. 6-ranked UT Tyler at Mustangs Park last week. The Patriots extended their winning streak to 10 games. In the opening game of the series, UT Tyler scored 16 runs in the first inning and won, 26-1. Levi Luna drove in the only run of the game for Midwestern State after Chloe Bryant worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Shannon singled for the Mustangs, advancing Bryant to third base. Luna registered her second RBI of the season with a base hit to left field.

In the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, UT Tyler pitcher Kaylee Davis retired the first seven batters she faced before Mikey Dominguez drilled a double down the left field line with one out in the third inning, and Kayla Bryant drove her home with a double to center field. After Bryant's RBI double, Davis would retire the next 10 batters she faced before Allie Monroe singled to center in the seventh inning.

MSU freshman pitcher Addison Lindemann threw a complete-game two-hitter in the nightcap. In the first inning, Camile Nunes drove home Kayla Bryant with a single to left field, Lindemann helped her own cause with a two run single to right field, scoring Megan Ayala and Allie Monroe. MSU held a 3-0 lead until the fourth inning. Michelle Arias hit a two-out, two-run triple to left field, but Mullen flew out to center field, and the Mustangs still led UT Tyler, 3-2, into the sixth inning. Three errors in the sixth inning allowed the Patriots to score twice without the benefit of a hit to take the lead. Lindemann (1-8) allowed just two earned runs on two hits with four strikeouts and three walks. The freshman from Holliday, Texas, threw 81 of 133 pitches for strike

- Sophomore slugger Allie Monroe leads the MSU attack with a .296 batting average and has a team-leading 24 hits this season. The Lawton, Oklahoma, native has accounted for six doubles, two triples, and three homers while driving in 18 runs, which is 19th-most in the LSC. Monroe leads the Mustangs with 43 total bases this season.

- Sophomore third baseman Maegan Shannon is hitting .246 and has a three-game hitting streak for the Mustangs. Shannon has at least one hit in 15 games this season. - Sophomore catcher Megan Ayala is hitting .307 (8-for-26) with four doubles and four RBIs over her last 11 games which includes two-hit efforts against Cameron, West Texas A&M and UT Tyler. The native of Denton, Texas, has a .981 fielding percentage with three errors and 19 assists behind the plate. She has thrown out 6-of-24 runners attempting to steal against the Mustangs.

- Freshman outfielder Paige Gallegos has a .238 with three doubles, a homer, and 11 RBIs. Gallegos has had six multi-hit games this season, including a 3-for-3 performance against West Texas A&M on Feb. 27. Gallegos is tied with Camile Nunez for second on the team with 26 total bases. Gallegos is 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.

- Nunez, a senior shortstop, opened the season with a six-game hitting streak and has at least one hit in 18 of her 27 games for the Mustangs. Nunez and Gallegos are tied for the second-most hits on the team with 20. The transfer from Texas A&M-Commerce has four doubles and a triple this season. Nunez played for head coach Brittanie Talley at Vernon Junior College. - Junior first baseman Myranda Jimenez hit two doubles and had an RBI in a 5-0 win at UTPB on March 3, giving her three extra-base hits for the season. Jimenez was All-Kansas College Athletic Conference and won a KCAC Gold Glove Award last season at Bethany College under the direction of MSU assistant coach Apdiel Vazquez.

- Senior Kennedy Cameron (1-5) leads the MSU effort in the circle, posting a 4.26 ERA. The Longview native has allowed 30 earned runs on 38 hits with 50 strikeouts and 43 walks in 49 1/3 innings. She ranks sixth in the LSC with a .205 opponent batting average. Cameron threw 126 pitches in a one-hit shutout against UTPB. She struck out 12 Falcons and only issued two walks in the 5-0 win on March 3. Cameron has the 11th-most strikeouts in the conference and is averaging 7.2 strikeouts per seven innings pitched, which is seventh-best in the LSC.

Addison Lindemann (1-8) leads the team with 14 appearances in the circle and has thrown the most innings among Mustang pitchers with 62 2/3 innings pitched. The freshman from Holliday, Texas, has thrown a team-leading four complete games and is coming off a complete game two-hitter against No. 6-ranked UT Tyler. Lindemann allowed just two earned runs. The right-hander had four strikeouts and three walks in the 4-3 loss to the Patriots on March 9. Lindemann had a season-high seven strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a 5-4 loss at UTPB on March 2. Lindemann pitched the final two innings of a 6-5 eight-inning win at UTPB in the nightcap on March 2 and earned her first win of the season, allowing just one hit and striking out three Falcons. Lindemann made her collegiate debut as a relief pitcher against Colorado Mesa at Scrap Yard Sports in Conroe, Texas. Lindemann worked 6 2/3 innings and allowed just one earned run on four hits, while striking out six Mavericks in the 4-3 loss on Feb. 2. The following day, Lindemann worked 8 2/3 innings of relief without allowing an earned run on four hits with six strikeouts in a 2-1 extra-inning loss to Rogers State. Lindemann threw a season-high 149 pitches against the Hillcats. For the season, Lindemann has a 5.36 ERA. She also contributes the Mustangs offense, Lindemann is 5-for-20 at the plate (.250) with a double and two RBIs this season. - Midwestern State has turned nine double plays this season, which is fifth-most in the LSC and 24th-most among NCAA Division II programs.

- Mustang batters have laid down 19 sacrifice bunts, which is fourth-most in the conference and 27th-most in the nation.

- MSU is 1-7 in one-run games this season and 1-4 in extra-inning contests.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS | Texas Woman's is 14-16 overall this season with a 12-9 conference record, and the Pioneers are 7-4 at Dianne Baker Field. TWU has a three-game losing streak following a mid-week series with UT Tyler, which outscored the Pioneers, 16-5, in the three games at Irwin Ballpark in Tyler. In their last series at home, TWU swept UTPB and outscored the Falcons over three games, 18-0. TWU is 11th in the conference with a .258 team batting average and is scoring 3.37 runs per game, which is 10th in the LSC. The Pioneers have the sixth-best team ERA in the league at 3.02. Alyssa LeBlanc (7-7) leads the conference and is fourth in the nation with 11 complete games. The senior from Katy, Texas, has a 2.41 ERA and has recorded a league-leading 103 strikeouts, which is ninth-most among NCAA Division II pitchers. She has the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the LSC at 3.32. LeBlanc has only walked 31 batters in 87 innings, and opponents have 55 hits against her in 16 appearances, including 12 starts. LeBlanc holds the opposition to a .206 batting average, which is seventh-best in the LSC. LeBlanc is a solid offensive player as well, hitting .353 with seven doubles, four home runs and 16 RBIs for the Pioneers. Ciana Rodriguez, a sophomore from San Antonio, is hitting .317 for TWU with four doubles and nine RBIs. Delaney Boley is hitting .279, and the senior from Fort Worth has hit three home runs this season, including one in each of the last two games, and has nine RBIs for the Pioneers.

NEXT UP | Midwestern State returns home to host Oklahoma Christian on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23. The two teams will clash at 6 p.m. on Friday night before playing a doubleheader at Mustangs Park on Saturday. First game of the twin bill starts at 1 p.m., and the nightcap is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.