The No. 6 Lions drop a pair of extra-inning games to No. 10 Oklahoma Christian

OKLAHOMA CITY – In a battle of two of the nation’s top teams, the No. 6 Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions fell in a pair of extra-inning games to the No. 10 Oklahoma Christian University Eagles on Sunday. 

The Eagles scored in the bottom of the eighth inning in each game with walk-off wins. It was 2-1 in the opener and 5-4 in the second contest. 

The Lions are now 25-12 overall and 18-6 in the Lone Star Conference. Oklahoma Christian is 33-5 overall and 23-3 in the LSC. The Eagles have won 16 straight games. 

The Lions have six regular-season games remaining, with doubleheaders vs. UT Tyler at home on May 1, Cameron on the road on May 3, and St. Edward’s at home on May 9. 

GAME ONE

A late miscue doomed the Lions in a 2-1 loss in 8 innings in the opener. They expected a tight doubleheader, A&M-Commerce missed out on its first chance at runs, stranding runners at second and third in the first inning. 

The Eagles took the lead in the second inning on Lindsey Stoeckel’s RBI single, but starting pitcher Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) minimized the damage and kept the score at 1-0. 

Pitchers dominated the rest of the game, but not only in the circle. Once the Lions earned a chance in the sixth, LeBlanc capitalized. Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence) walked to lead off the sixth, and a LeBlanc double pushed her all the way home to tie the game at 1-1. 

Oklahoma Christian earned the win in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out rally. A single and double put runners in scoring position, and a mishandled potential game-extending popup, allowing the Eagles to finish off the 2-1 win. 

They tagged LeBlanc with the loss despite allowing only one earned run in 7.2 innings on six hits with eight strikeouts and five walks. Schaefer went 2-for-3 to acquire two of the Lions’ three hits. Kinsie Hebler (Cy-Fair) had two walks in the game. 

GAME TWO

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Lions had the lead twice but saw the Eagles fight back on each occasion. 

Schaefer was 3-for-5 in the game with three RBIs, and Kuea Angilau (Salt Lake City, Utah) drew a pair of walks. Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) was stuck with a loss after allowing four earned runs in 6.0 innings of action on six hits, with six strikeouts and no walks. 

After threatening to score with the bases loaded in the third, A&M-Commerce made good on that threat in the fourth. Kimber Neal (Humble – Atascocita) brought home the game’s first run on RBI bunt, and Schaefer’s two-out two-run single pushed the Lion lead quickly to 3-0. 

OC was able to chip away at that lead with a leadoff homer in the fifth, a triple and RBI ground out in the sixth, and a game-tying single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The Lions missed out on a chance to extend their lead in the seventh, with two strikeouts after loading the bases with one out. 

The Lions retook the lead in the top of the eight on Schaefer’s RBI double after Uxua Modrego (Burlada, Spain) reached base with an error. 

The Eagles tied the game on their first opportunity in the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff homer, and the game-winning run came across on a two-out single, handing the hosts the sweep.

Lion men qualify for NCAA Division II South Central/West Super Regional.

INDIANAPOLIS – They selected Texas A&M University-Commerce men’s golf team to participate in the 2021 NCAA Division II South Central/West Super Regional Tournament, as announced by the NCAA on Friday. 

The Lions are ranked 31st nationally in the Golfstat rankings and are coming off a solid third-place performance at the Lone Star Conference Championship earlier this week. A&M-Commerce has finished in the top five teams at nine of their ten tournaments this season. 

There are 16 total teams at the South Central/West Super Regional, which will be held at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash., on May 6-8. The top four teams at the Super Regional will advance to the NCAA Division II Championship on May 17-21 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at the PGA National Golf Club. 

A&M-Commerce is the fourth seed from the South Central Region and qualifies for the regional round of competition for the eighth time. The Lions have qualified for the regional tournament in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009, and 2018 as a team, advancing to the national tournament in 1998. 

They will announce the pairings and tee times for the tournament as the championship approaches. 

SOUTH CENTRAL/WEST REGIONAL

The Home Course, Dupont, Washington; Saint Martin’s University, host. 

South Central Region:

1. Oklahoma Christian [Lone Star Conference]
2. Colorado State-Pueblo [Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]
3. Midwestern State
4. A&M-COMMERCE
5. DBU
6. St. Mary’s
7. Colorado Mesa
8. Western New Mexico

Individuals:

1. Parker Holekamp, Texas A&M International
2. Collin Bordeaux, Regis
3. Darren Edwards, Fort Lewis

West Region:

1. Sonoma State
2. Western Washington
3. Academy of Art [Pacific West Conference]
4. Cal State East Bay
5. Saint Martin’s [Great Northwest Atlantic Conference]
6. Holy Names
7. Montana State Billings
8. Northwest Nazarene

Individuals:

1. Keita Okada, Hawai’i Pacific
2. Matt Fry, Dominican
3. Dustin Franko, Hawai’i-Hilo