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TAMUC – Sports

 

Records fall and top marks set for Lions at Texas Relays.

AUSTIN – Texas A&M University-Commerce’s track and field teams had an excellent showing at the 92nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays this weekend, with top marks posted and a school record falling.

“We have a great group of people and took the chance putting together a few different relays compared to what we are used to. The remainder of the season will be focused on the right combination of people,” said head track and field coach George Pincock. “The field athletes got it done this week! Josh Boateng is figuring things out in disc, and I expect we will see some big throws soon. Hudson Hall has been working hard and improving every practice. He is going to keep vaulting higher.”

Boateng (St. George’s, Grenada) improved his automatic qualifying mark in the discus throw and stretched his nation-best mark 56.80m (186-4). In the shot put, Boateng had a long toss of 18.11m (59-5), which ranks second best in the nation and is a provisional qualifying mark.

Hall (Rockport-Fulton) earned a provisional qualifying mark that ranks sixth nationally at 5.05m (16-6 ¾).

In the women’s 400 meter hurdles, Minna Svaerd (Karlstad, Sweden) crossed the line in 59.76 seconds, which ranks fifth nationally, while Markaaisha Richardson (Amarillo – Tascosa) finished in 1:01.92, which ranks 13th nationally.

In the women’s 100 meter dash Eboni Coby (Lancaster) flew by the line at 11.81 seconds, which ranks fifth nationally, and Mackenzie Clark (Garland – Naaman Forest) finished in 11.85, which ranks eighth in the country.

The women’s 4×400 relay team of Atiana Alexander (San Antonio – Northside), Coby, Richardson, and Svaerd finished in a time of 3:49.44 to rank ninth nationally.

The men’s 4×200 relay of Stadrian Taylor (Lancaster), Eric Age (Lancaster), Devon Sanders (Clarksville), and Rashard Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) established a school record with a time of 1:24.66. However, there are no national standings in the event since it is not held at the NCAA Championships. The Lions placed fourth in the competition behind Houston, LSU, and Mississippi State, and ahead of Texas A&M, Baylor, BYU, Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

“The 4×200 is a fun event because it’s an event all these guys did while in high school, but don’t get the chance to do at the NCAA level. I knew we had the guys to break the record and I wanted to give them that chance at this meet,” Pincock said.

The Lions return to the track next weekend, with the multi-events getting outdoors for the first time this season at the Angelo State David Noble Relays next Thursday-Saturday.

 

No. 12 Lions pick up two wins to sweep series against No. 24 Angelo State.

SAN ANGELO– The No. 12 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team swept No. 24 Angelo State on Saturday. The Lions defeated the Rambelles 6-5 in game one and 7-3 in Game 2.

The wins bring the Lions to 30-9 on the season and 16-5 in the Lone Star Conference. ASU falls to 24-13 and 10-10 in conference play. The Lions swept the series after defeating the Rambelles in game one on Friday.

The Lions return home to face Texas Woman’s University in their next series. The teams will meet in a single game on Friday at 12:30 p.m. as part of Education Day presented by Alliance Bank. The teams will finish the series with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. Tickets to the series against TWU are available by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, calling Lion Sales & Service at (903) 468-8756, visiting the LSS Box Office in the Field House during business hours or by purchase at the gates of the John Cain Family Softball Field.

HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE GAMES

– On the series: “Our team was determined this whole week to have a great week. I challenged them early, and they came through. You saw it early and often. You had the diving plays from Kilcrease, the outstanding pitching we got in the circle, the timely hitting. To come down here and get the sweep, it is a team effort. I’m extremely proud of the way our team played this weekend.”
– On the play of the young players: “That’s the future of our program. We have great leadership on this team and to see the young players step up as well, it is fun to watch. They have a lot of energy, and they play with a lot of passion.”

– On the defense: “Angelo is a very good hitting ball club, and they hit a lot of balls hard. Our defense, from the infield to the outfield, made a lot of plays. They made all the routine plays, and they made a lot of outstanding plays this week. That’s what it takes to beat a great ball club.”

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 1)

– A&M-Commerce hit four home runs in the game.
– Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, giving the Lions the lead for good.
– Jodie Hill (Heavener, Okla.), Vanessa Muro (Oak Hills, Calif.) and Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) also had solo homers.
– Schaefer and Muro both scored twice.
– Alexis Velasquez (Amarillo – River Road) got the win in relief, pitching 5.0 innings. Emily Otto (Richmond – Lamar Consolidated) threw to the final two batters and got her first save of the year.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)

The Lions got the scoring started early. Hill cranked a home run into the left-center fence. ASU answered back with a pair of singles, one of which scored a run. Dean struck out two in the inning, and the teams were tied 1-1.

After a hit by a pitch and a pair of singles to open the second, Hebler drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring in a run. ASU again answered, this time scoring four runs across the plate to take a 5-2 lead after two.

The Lions hit a pair of solo homers in the third inning to climb back within one. Schaefer hit the first and Muro hit the second. ASU was retired in order, and the Lions trailed 5-4 after three.

ASU had a pair of hits in the fourth, but Velasquez was able to get out of the inning. The Lions then took the lead in the fifth. Schaefer drew a walk and then Boley crushed a pitch over the center field fence, giving the Lions the 6-5 lead.

Velasquez retired ASU in order in the sixth inning, and Otto came in to save the game in the seventh. Otto struck out the final batter to give the Lions the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE (Game 2)

– Kayla Kilcrease (Kerens) hit a two-run homer in the first inning. She had two hits and scored twice.
– Kinsie Hebler (Cypress – Cy Fair) had a pair of singles and two RBIs. Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas HS) also had a couple of hits and two RBIs. Madison Schaefer also had an RBI.
– Emily Otto pitched a complete game, striking out five.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)

The Lions again started things off quickly, scoring three runs in the first. Hebler led off with a single and scored on a home run from Kilcrease. The Lions then loaded the bases after a double from Sims and two walks. Slider then drew a walk and scored a run to give the Lions a 3-0 lead. ASU had a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The Lions took a 3-2 lead into the second inning.

Otto struck out two ASU hitters in the second inning before the Lions added to their lead in the third. Schaefer and Boley both singled. Schaefer then scored on a single from Slider. The Lions led 4-2 after three complete.

The Lions added another run in the fourth after Kilcrease reached on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly from Schaefer. Otto had another strikeout in the bottom half as the Lions led 5-2 after four.

Kilcrease made another diving catch in center to rob ASU of an RBI hit. The Lions had two singles in the sixth but could not add to their lead. ASU hit a solo homer to cut the Lion lead to 5-3 entering the seventh.

The Lions added a pair of runs with two outs in the seventh. Slider singled, and Neal drew a walk. Both scored on a deep double from Hebler. Otto struck out one more and pulled two pop outs to seal the sweep.

 

 

Gold takes Spring Game over Blue, 26-18.

COMMERCE – The Gold team took a 26-18 win over the Blue team in the Texas A&M University-Commerce football program’s annual Spring Game on Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

The spring game had modified scoring rules, where the offense (Blue) picked up points for long plays and consecutive first downs, and the defense (Gold) picked up points on three-and-outs, sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers, and stopping the offense in short field situations.

“I was really thrilled with the effort, and I was thrilled that we only had three penalties on the day, so it was very clean,” head coach David Bailiff said of his first spring game at A&M-Commerce. “It got hard on the quarterbacks when the wind picked up, and we substituted the starters. But I think we learned a lot and I’m sure we’ll get some days like this in season, so it was a good learning experience and good effort. I think the defense really tackled well and I like the progress we’ve made. We’ve got to work on eliminating the mistakes we can control, like errant snaps, but we’ve got to focus and keep working in the last few practices of the spring.”

Both teams notched points in the opening drive, as Nick Petitti and Dayne Douglass had tackles for loss, but Emmanuel Adagbon drilled a 50-yard field goal to give Blue a 3-2 lead. Gold had a tackle for loss and a three-and-out on the next two drives to take the lead.

Nate Davis picked up 19 yards on the run to get the offense on the board again, then Jaired Chamberlain ended a drive with a tackle for loss to start a series of defensive points. DD Fletcher, Pierre Leonard, and Mark Westbrook all had tackles for loss as Gold scored on four straight drives.

Isaiah Davis got Blue back in the scoring tally with runs of 13 and 21 yards, but the defense was able to stand. Preston Wheeler completed a 39-yard pass to Davis for an explosive play point, but a sack ended the drive. Gerard Franklin got the Gold side four points with an interception heading into the short-field section of the scrimmage.

Wheeler led the offense on a comeback in his drive from the 12-yard line. After two tackles for loss, he threw a pass to convert a third-and-long, then Carandal Hale punched in a 1-yard touchdown carry. Jacob Zepeda kicked the extra point.

Blue needed to score in the final 12-yard drive of the day to pick up the win, but two Gunnar Palacios passes were narrowly incomplete, giving Gold four points and sealing the defensive victory.

 

 

No. 12 Lions pick up a 4-1 win over No. 24 Angelo State.

SAN ANGELO– The No. 12 Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team defeated No. 24 Angelo State 4-1 on the road on Friday. The Lions took the lead in the second inning and held off a late ASU rally to get the win.

The win brings the Lions to 28-9 on the season and 14-5 in the Lone Star Conference. ASU falls to 24-11 and 10-8 in conference play. It was the Lions’ first-ever win against ASU on the road.

The teams will meet again in a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. The games will be played at Mayer Field in San Angelo.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

– Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) hit a solo home run in the second inning to give the Lions the lead. She scored two runs.
– Chealsea Slider (Texarkana – Texas HS) had two RBI hits. Vanessa Muro (Oak Hills, Calif.) also had an RBI hit.
– Kayla Kilcrease (Kerens) had a hit and scored a run. She also had two diving catches in the outfield.
– Bri Sims (Rowlett) and Avery Boley (Fort Worth – Nolan Catholic) also had hits. Ta’Lyn Moody (Mansfield – Legacy) scored a run.
– Emily Otto (Richmond – Lamar Consolidated) pitched a complete game, striking out four.

HEAD COACH RICHIE BRUISTER AFTER THE GAME

Thoughts on the game: “It’s great for our new program to get its first win out here. We proved last year that we could win out here. It felt great to get the win, especially the way that we did. We had some key plays that happened in the game. I told the kids that this game giveth and taketh away. Kilcrease with that diving catch after the miss last year. She got that off her back and made one of the best catches I’ve ever seen in my entire career. It was awesome.”
– On Otto’s complete game: “She kept her composure and did what she needed to do. She made adjustments, kept hitters off balance and did a great job.”

– On the offense: “Schaefer started us off with the home run. For a freshman to come up like that, hitting it right over the foul pole. It was great to see her do that, stepping up in a big game like this. Slider had some huge hits today. Muro came up big in some big situations. All around, it was a great effort from them. We had eight hits. The offense did their job against a good pitcher, and then Otto closed it out.”

– On winning a big game on the road: “I told our team this week, they are born to do this. These kids have been in big situations their entire life. They are winners. They grew up winning in little league through high school and now in college. They just have to go out there and prove it. They did that today.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

After neither team had a hit in the first inning, the Lions struck first. In the second, Schaefer saw a pitch she liked and sent it packing over the left field fence. ASU had a leadoff single, but Otto forced two outs, and the runner was caught trying to steal third. The Lions led 1-0 after two complete.

After a hitless third by both teams, the Lions added to their lead in the fourth. Kilcrease led off with a hit and Schaefer walked. Kilcrease scored on a single from Muro and Schaefer scored on a single from Slider. ASU answered back with a pair of singles in the bottom of the inning to score their first run. The Lions led 3-1 after four innings.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the Rambelles had a chance to score with a leadoff double. Otto forced two outs, and Kilcrease made her second diving catch of the game on the final out to save a run from coming across. The Lions took their 3-1 lead into the seventh.

Boley led off with a double in the seventh. Moody entered to pinch run and scored on the double up the middle from Slider. Otto forced multiple pop-ups in the bottom of the inning to seal the win.

 

Josh Manck
Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Committed to a “Best In Class” student-athlete experience.
Office: 903.886.5131 | Mobile: 817.487.5136 |
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429
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Marcus Jensen
Director of Athletic Communications | Texas A&M University-Commerce
Office: 903.468.3027 | Mobile: 801.624.8529
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Committed to a “Best in Class” student-athlete experience.