Rattlers win 5-1 to drop Lions to the losers’ bracket.

COMMERCE – The No. 7 seeded St. Mary’s Rattlers upset the No. 2 seeded Texas A&M-University-Commerce softball team, 5-1, on the first day of the NCAA South Central Regional 2 tournament at the John Cain Family Softball Complex on Thursday afternoon. 

With the loss, the Lions drop to the losers’ bracket and face Oklahoma Christian, who fell to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Thursday, in the tournament’s first elimination game on Friday at 2:30 pm. The game-winner will face the loser of the match between the Javelinas and the Rattlers in the second elimination game on Friday at 5:00 pm. 

The Lions need to win four games to advance past the regional round and hold a record of 42-14 after Thursday’s loss. 

St. Mary’s scored one run each in the first four innings. Victoria Aldridge had a one-out base hit in the top of the first and scored on an RBI double to straight center by Jamison Holder. Abigale Carney homered to the left in the second, Holder drove in Aldridge with a base hit in the third, and Amber Gonzales homered to the left in the fourth. 

After being held scoreless in the fifth, Carney hit her second home run in the sixth. Fortunately, this one also went to the left. 

The lone run for the Lions came in the sixth inning, a long home run to left field by Madison Schaefer (Frisco – Independence), her 12th of the season and 11th in the last 18 games. The Lions’ best chance to add more runs came in the sixth. They had two on with one out. However, a pop-out in the infield and a strikeout kept the Rattlers in front.

A&M-Commerce went down in order at the bottom of the seventh. Schaefer and Leo Terry (Emory – Rains) combined for four of the six hits for the Lions. Alyssa LeBlanc (Katy) allowed three earned runs and six hits in 2.1 innings and got credited with the loss. At the same time, Emily Otto (Lamar Consolidated) tossed 4.2 innings in relief, allowing two more runs. 

Catalina Cavazos won her 20th game of the season, tossing the complete game. She struck out eight, and the only blemish on her ledger was the home run to Schaefer. 

The Lions and the Eagles met twice in Commerce during the regular season, and the Lions won both games.

Lion Women’s Golf ends the season at National Championships.

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – The Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s golf team’s season came to a close on Thursday afternoon with a tied for 12th place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships on the Chattahoochee Golf Club. 

During the stroke-play portion of the national championships, the Lions started their final round six strokes back of the top eight teams that advance to match play. However, the Lions totaled 309 on Thursday to accumulate a score of 920 through the three rounds. As a result, Findlay got the final spot in match play with a score of 913. 

A&M-Commerce closes out its final season in NCAA Division II with its second consecutive trip to the National Championships. The Lions look ahead to being members of NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference next fall. 

“Obviously, we are slightly disappointed on the overall outcome but still an incredible run from this amazing group and so much to be proud of,” said coach Lise Malherbe. “Thank you to our four seniors who devoted themselves to the program, and thank you for leaving a lasting legacy at Commerce as we close out our Division II run. The future is bright, and cannot wait to get back at it come August!” 

Sarah Wongsinth (Udon Thani, Thailand) totaled a score of 227 through the three rounds. She shot a 78 on Thursday. A four-year player for the Lions, Wongsinth had a scoring average below 75 in her Lion career and was part of three NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. 

Inma Ortiz Prieto (Huelva, Spain) tied for 28th at the National Championships after a score of 76 on Thursday and a compiled score of 228 in the three days. Thursday was Ortiz Prieto’s final collegiate round. The Lions advanced to the NCAA National Championships in both seasons with Ortiz Prieto on the team. 

Sophie-Charlott Hempel (Pirmasens, Germany) closed out her Lion career with a round of 78 in the third round. She totaled a score of 235 this week. Hempel played for the Lions for five years, making the NCAA Tournament in three of the five seasons. She was a three-time all-conference selection. 

Karlee Nichols (San Antonio – Smithson Valley) improved her score in the last two rounds and shot a 77 in her final collegiate round on Thursday. She had a cumulative stroke total of 240 to place in a tie for 85th. She was part of the Lion golf team for four seasons, playing in the postseason in three of the four seasons. 

Michelle Becker (San Antonio – Reagan) tied for 95th place with a score of 248 in the three rounds. She has one more year of eligibility and will return to Commerce next fall. 

The top eight teams that advanced to medal match play are DBU, Anderson, Limestone, Lee, Barry, West Texas A&M, Lynn, and Findlay. Academy of Art’s Anahi Servin won the individual National Championship by four strokes with 211.