ODESSA, Texas -- Kayla Bryant and Paige Gallegos delivered key hits and Midwestern State snapped a long skid in a doubleheader hit split against UT Permian Basin Saturday afternoon at the UTPB Softball Field.

The marathon doubleheader eclipsed a combined seven hours and the teams played a total of 17 innings with the Mustangs taking Game 1 by a score of 6-5 in eight innings before the Falcons rallied to take Game 2, 5-4, in nine innings.

MSU ended a program long 15-game losing streak in the opener and finished the day at 3-20 overall and 1-13 in league play, while UTPB (4-16, 1-10 LSC) broke out of a 10-game slide of its own in the second game.

Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin close the three-game series Sunday afternoon. First pitch is set for noon.

GAME 1 | Midwestern State 6, UT Permain Basin 5 (8 innings)

Paige Gallegos' second hit of the game drove in the game winning run in the eighth inning as Midwestern State came away with a 6-5 win in Game 1 on Saturday.

The freshman from Iowa Park logged her team-best sixth multiple-hit game of the season by going 2-for-5, but it was sophomore Kayla Bryant who got the Mustangs off on the right foot.

The Surprise, Arizona, native slammed a bases loaded triple off of a diving shortstop's glove in the first inning to push across three runs to give the Mustangs the early lead.

UT Permian Basin snapped out of a seven-game, 46-inning scoreless slump ending it on a three-run blast by freshman Delaney Doelitsch to narrow MSU's lead to 4-3.

Senior Kennedy Cameron settled the Mustangs in with a solid relief stint, limiting the Falcons to two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Sophomore Megan Ayala drew a bases loaded walk to push MSU's lead to 5-3 in the top of the fourth inning, but the Falcons rallied for single runs in the fifth and sixth frames to force the game to extra innings.

Then, pinch hitter Chloe Bryant drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on Briana Dominguez' ground out, then scored on Gallegos' single up the middle.

Freshman Addison Lindemann pitched two scoreless innings of one-hit relief while recording three strikeouts to earn her first collegiate victory.

UTPB freshman Laila Vasquez took the loss to fall to 0-5 despite limiting the Mustangs to one run on one hit in 4 1/3 innings of relief.

GAME 2 | UT Permian Basin 5, Midwestern State 4 (9 innings)

UTPB's Gabrielle Cabrera delivered a run-scoring single to right field to drive in Kaylee Moses to lift the Falcons to a 5-4 win in nine innings of Game 2 Saturday night.

Freshman Morgan McGaugh went the distance, allowing two earned runs on five hits to level her season record at 4-4.

The Falcons jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with Delaney Doelitsch driving in a run on a double to the right field in the first inning, then came around to score on Cabrera's first RBI tonight on a double to the left-field gap.

The Mustangs pulled to within 2-1 on a well excuted double steal in the third inning with Kayle Bryant taking home.

UT Permian Basin scored a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to push the lead to 4-1 before Camille Nunez logged MSU's first hit of the game with a triple to right field to open the top of the sixth. She would come in to score on Allie Monroe's groundout to first base.

The Mustangs leveled the score at 4-4 by scoring two unearned runs off of a UTPB error in the seventh inning to force extra innings.

Moses led off the ninth inning with a double to center field and scored the winning run on Cabrera's single to right field.

Lindemann (1-7) took the loss for the Mustangs despite limiting the Falcons to one earned run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings of relief. She recorded seven strikeouts.

Starter Sydney Gonzales allowed two earned runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings before giving way to Lindemann.

Kayla Bryant led the MSU attack by going 2-for-3 with two runs. It was her second multi-hit game of the season.
  Read Full Article