Softball 4/26/2013 7:48:00 PM

Softball Clinches Trip to Fifth Straight Postseason

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

GOODWELL, Oklahoma (April 26, 2013) – TAMIU softball punched their ticket to the Heartland Conference Tournament for a school record fifth consecutive year with a doubleheader sweep over Oklahoma Panhandle State University Friday afternoon.

Cassandra DeLeon finished the day 4-for-7 with six RBI, two doubles, one triple, and four runs scored, while game two starting pitcher Kyndall Reaves tossed a complete game shutout as the Dustdevils took game one 12-2 and game two 11-0 both via the mercy rule in five innings.

The pair of wins lifted the Dustdevils record to 20-34 on the season (6-8 HC) and vaulted TAMIU into third place in the conference standings with one game remaining in the regular season. TAMIU holds a one game lead over UT-Permian (4-8) and a two game lead over Newman University (3-9) for the final spot in the conference tournament. The Falcons and the Jets will conclude their regular seasons facing off against each other in a three game series set for a Saturday afternoon start.

TAMIU struck quickly in game one with an RBI single by Deleon in the first, but OPSU came back to take the lead scoring two runs in the fourth off TAMIU starter Mariena Gallardo.

The Dustdevils’ offense responded for their teammate in the next inning tallying 11 runs off nine hits and three OPSU errors. Seven different players recorded RBI in the inning, the first of which was a single by Esmeralda González to knot the game at two.

After Reaves reached on an error, Desiree Ramos and Desiree Ortíz struck with back-to-back singles to plate three more runs. Two batters later Chelsea Capello drew a bases loaded walk to make it a 6-2 game and Cassie Garcia followed with a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 8-2. After OPSU’s second pitching change of the inning, Gallardo and Deleon laced consecutive doubles to drive three more runs in. Two batters later reaves was able to reach on an error for the second time in the frame to give TAMIU their final run of the inning and a big 12-2 lead.

Gallardo allowed one hit in the bottom of the fifth before retiring the side as the Dustdevils took game one. Gallardo (7-4) picked up the complete game win for TAMIU scattering eight hits and allowing only two runs with one strikeout and no walks. She also went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored.

Four different TAMIU players recorded multiple hits including Kristen LaBuhn who went 3-for-4, Deleon and Gonzalez who each went 2-for-4.

The Dustdevils picked up right where they left off in the opener, totaling 13 hits en route to their second straight mercy rule win. TAMIU scored three runs in the first, five in the third, and another three in the fifth to take the game 11-0.

Reaves was electric in the circle for the Dustdevils, tossing five shutout innings while scattering five hits with one strikeout and a walk.

Deleon, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI in game two, got things going in the first with a two-out, two-RBI triple. Reaves then helped her own cause with an RBI single to make it 3-0 TAMIU.

Ramos drove in two more runs early in the third before two costly errors allowed three more TAMIU runs to come across. Gallardo and Deleon pushed three more runs across in the fifth on a RBI single and double respectively.

TAMIU and OPSU will meet tomorrow afternoon at 12 p.m. for the series finale.

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