TAMUC – Sports

 

TRACK

VanSickle sets school record and Lions set 10 new provisional marks, as A&M-Commerce finishes second at David Noble Relays

SAN ANGELO – The Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams both finished as runners-up at the David Noble Relays, which completed Saturday at Angelo State University.

The Lion men scored 135.33 points, finishing behind Angelo State’s 213 points. The Lion women scored 117.5 points, behind ASU’s 226.5 points.

The Lions saw ten new NCAA Division II provisional marks that were improvements on previous achievements this season.

The highlight of the meet was Alexandra Van Sickle’s school record in the women’s shot put. She threw the shot 15.18 meters, the first A&M-Commerce woman to notch a mark over 15 meters in school history.

Also establishing a new school record on the women’s side was Hailey Wanoreck in the hammer throw at 49.12 meters.

The women’s 4×400 meter relay team of Kamryn McKee, Verlencia Shaw, Ashley Bassett, and Joy Spann notched a provisional qualifying time of 3:46.96.

Bassett also earned provisional qualifying marks in both the 100-meter hurdles (14.24 seconds) and 400-meter hurdles (1:01.30).

Jessica Clay improved on her previous provisional mark with 4,582 points.

On the men’s side, DeVontae Steele leaped 15.45 meters in the triple jump with a new provisional mark, that ranks fourth nationally.

Gage Bowles’ long jump of 7.55 meters established a new provisional distance, as did Chase Graham’s hammer throw of 57.02 meters.

Devon Sanders’ 100 meter dash time of 10.52 seconds is a new provisional qualifying mark, and Robert Wood’s decathlon score of 6,262 points also provisionally qualifies him for nationals.

While not a qualifying score, Luis Osornio won the 800 meter run with a time of 1:53.00.

The Lions host the East Texas Invitational on Saturday, April 15, for their next action.

SOFTBALL

Lions swept by No. 9 West Texas, lose game two on a walk-off homer

CANYON– The Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team lost two matchups to No. 9 West Texas A&M on Saturday. The Lions lost the first game 11-6 and the second game 8-7 on a walk-off home run.

The losses drop the Lions to 26-15 on the season and 11-10 in the Lone Star Conference. The Lady Buffs climb to 32-6 on the year and 17-4 in conference play.

The Lions will next host Western New Mexico University for two doubleheaders on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the games will begin at 4 p.m. On Friday the doubleheader starts at 2:00 pm. The second game on Friday will not be considered a conference matchup. All games are at the John Cain Family Softball Complex.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Kinsie Hebler hit two home runs in the second game and went 4-for-7 on the day, scoring three runs and driving in five runs. She also started game two in the circle and struck out three batters in 6.1 innings pitched.
– Mariah Jameyson also had back-to-back homers in the second match. She went 3-for-6 on the day with two runs scored and three RBIs.
– Cherie Jackson homered in the first game and went 3-for-7 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
– Vanessa Avina went 3-for-4 with a RBI and two stolen bases. Jordyn Sharp went 3-for-6 with a triple and a run scored.
– Baylea Higgs had two steals, a RBI single, scored twice and drew two walks.
– Precious Thompson, Tyler Oppenheim, and Chealsea Slider each had a hit. Oppenheim and Thompson each scored once. Thompson also stole a base.
– Selena Rima and Courtnee Jones each pitched 3.0 innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1)
The Lions struck first in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Hebler hit a double to right center. She was driven in on the double from Jameyson to right field. The Buffs answered back with three consecutive singles, the third one of which scored two runs. The Lions trailed 2-1 after one inning.

After a leadoff strikeout, the Lions loaded the bases with two singles and a walk in the top of the second. Higgs hit a single to drive in the tying run. A single from Hebler drove in two more runs, and the Lions retook the lead. The Lions led 4-2 after two innings.

After a scoreless third inning, the Lions threatened in the top of the fourth. A leadoff triple from Sharp put a runner in scoring position with no outs. However, the Lions could not get the runner in to score.

The Lady Buffs struck back in the bottom of the fourth and ran away with the game. A two-run double and a two-run home run gave WT back the lead at 6-4. Three walks, a double and two singles in all scored nine runs for WT, and they led 11-4 going into the fifth inning.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Jackson hit a home run to lead off the sixth inning for the Lions. The Lion defense held, giving them one more chance to tie the game in the seventh.

Jackson came to the plate again and hit a double, scoring a run in the top of the seventh. But that was all the offense the Lions could produce and the game ended.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2)
The Lions were again the first team on the board in the second match. In the top of the second, Jackson recorded a two-out double, and she was driven home on a single from Avina. The Lady Buffs responded with runs in the second and third innings, including a solo home run in the third. After three innings, WT led 2-1.

The Lions retook the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Both Hebler and Jameyson hit solo home runs to left-center field, and the Lions took a 3-2 lead. The Lions recorded two more singles and had two more stolen bases to put runners in scoring position, but they could not get around, and the Lions held a one-run lead going into the fifth.

The Lions again struck in the fifth inning. After Higgs had drawn a walk, Hebler came to the plate and hit another home run to bring in two runs. Jameyson followed her and hit a home run herself to put in another run. The Lions led 6-2 at the end of five innings.

The Lions brought another run across in the top of the sixth inning. Sharp singled down the left field line, and an error by the outfielder allowed her to run all the way around the bases to score. The Lions led 7-2.

WT cut into the lead in the bottom of the sixth. After a single and a walk, a double drove in a run. An error and two more singles let two more runs cross, and the Lions held a 7-5 lead going into the seventh inning.

The Lions were unable to get any hits at the top of the seventh inning, giving the Lady Buffs one final chance. A leadoff home run brought WT to within one run of tying the game. After a single, a home run allowed WT to walk off winners and sweep the series.