LIVE STATS | VIDEO | GAME NOTES

LAREDO, Texas (February 27, 2018) – Fresh off a Heartland Conference opening series sweep over Newman, the Texas A&M International University softball team hits the road for a Thursday doubleheader at Oklahoma Christian on March 1 in Edmond, Okla. Game one of the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. at Tom Heath Field at Lawson Plaza.
 
Links for live stats and video can be found at GoDustdevils.com under the softball schedule page.
 
A LOOK AT THE DUSTDEVILS
The Dustdevils are 5-15 after picking up their first conference sweep since April 21-22 of last year on Friday over Newman. They will look to pick up their first true road win of the season entering the week 0-7 after visits to Lone Star Conference foes Texas A&M-Kingsville, Angelo State and West Texas A&M.
 
Cassie Cannon continues to propel the Dustdevil lineup from the leadoff spot as the senior is hitting a team-high .414 with seven doubles, one triple and one home run while stealing six bases. She has reached base in a career-high five straight games as she ranks in the top-10 nationally in total hits and doubles. Maddison Schofield has been equally impressive at the plate hitting .328 driving in a team-high 14 runs including the game-winner against NU last Friday. Earlier in the season, Schofield went 2-for-4 from the dish against UC-Colorado Springs at the WTAMU Invitational driving in a career-high four runs. Later in the tournament she hit her first career home run against the Mountain Lions.
 
The freshman duo of Maya Paul and Melanie Gamboa have acclimated well to the collegiate game as both are hitting over .300 this season. Paul really came into her own last week picking up the first multi RBI games of her career against Texas A&M-Kingsville and NU. Gamboa has appeared in 18 games with 15 of those being starts at second where the Laredo product has shown patience at the plate with a team-high eight walks. She also has some pop in her bat as she connected on her first career home run in against Florida Tech as part of the George & Ola McCorkle Challenge in San Angelo.
 
Delainy Thompson had her best performance of the season in the first game of the doubleheader against NU going five innings on five hits while not allowing a walk for the first time in her career. Through 48.0 innings pitched, the Eastvale, Calif. product has a team-low 3.74 ERA with 22 strikeouts. Melanie Lint picked up her first career win last week going the full seven innings allowing four runs (0 earned) and three walks while striking out seven in the Dustdevils come-from-behind victory over NU. Sara Caterson could see some action in the circle as the junior's two wins are tied for the team high.
 
A LOOK AT THE EAGLES
Oklahoma Christian enters the second week of conference play 9-8 overall and 1-1 in Heartland play after a series split on Sunday against Lubbock Christian in Edmond. After dropping five of their first six games of the season, OC responded with six straight at the Edmond Regional Festival in mid-February. They are 7-2 in home games this season.
 
Madison Nordyke is off to a hot start hitting .434 in 17 games with three doubles with nine RBIs. She has seven multi-hit games so far this season including a 4-for-4 performance against Washburn. The senior has also seen time in the circle with an ERA of 7.00 in 20.0 innings of work. Bridget White brings the power to the lineup as the junior third basemen has hit a team-high three home runs to drive in 14 runs. She homered in OC's last game in a 9-0 victory over LCU. Kayla Eichler is the fourth and final Eagle hitting over .300 as the junior is 12-for-38 from the plate with a team-high seven doubles.
 
Kaylie Upton is having an impressive start to her junior campaign as she is hitting .364 in 44 at-bats with a 6-1 record in the circle. In her 10 appearances and six starts for the Eagles, the junior has allowed 18 runs on 30 hits striking out 16. Madison Hagood enters the week having started seven games going 2-3 with an ERA of 3.21. She leads the team in strikeouts with 34 including a five strikeout performance against Pittsburg State in first start of the  season.
 
THE SERIES
Oklahoma Christian leads the all-time series 10-7 having won five of the previous seven games... The Dustdevils are still winless in Edmond have dropped a pair of three-game series in 2014 and 2016… The Eagles defeated the Dustdevils 3-1 in last year's Heartland Conference Tournament… TAMIU dropped two of out of three in their opening series on Apr 19-20, 2015 in Laredo.
 
DUSTDEVILS GROUND JETS IN HEARTLAND CONFERENCE OPENER
The Dustdevils opened Heartland Conference play on a high-note with a two-game sweep of Newman on Friday at Dustdevil Field. They outscored the Jets 14-5 as they improved to 4-0 on the season when scoring 6 or more runs this season. In game one, the teams were tied 1-all until the bottom of third when the Dustdevils scored eight runs to bust the game wide open. Robi Kami's perfectly executed a perfect bunt to start the run as Samantha Edmiston and Maya Paul both drove in a pair of runs on doubles to left field.
 
The Dustdevils got off to another strong start in game two as Krystal Perez singled to left field single plated the first run of the game followed by a bases clearing double from Cassie Cannon to make it 3-0 after two complete. The Jets stormed back in the top of the sixth to take a 4-3 lead due to timely hitting and errors. Brandi Giles needed one swing to tie it in the bottom of the seventh before Cannon scored the winning run on a double to right center by Maddison Schofield. Melanie Lint picked up her first career victory in the circle in the thrilling comeback win for the Dustdevils.
 
SHOT OUT OF A CANNON
Cassie Cannon is off to one of the best starts for a hitter in program history in the past five  years as the Kingsville product ranks fourth nationally in total hits and 10^th in doubles. Her 29 hits are four short of the national leader Heather Tracy of Montana State-Billings. She is one of 20 players with seven or more doubles. With two stolen bases over the weekend, she moved up to seventh all-time in career stolen bases with 17.
 
THOMPSON TO THE TOP
Delainy Thompson already ranks first in program history in complete games but could be atop of few more categories before her career ends. She ranks second in career wins, games started, strikeouts and third in appearances and shutouts.
 
UP NEXT
The Dustdevils finish their road trip against Rogers State with a Saturday doubleheader, Mar. 3, in Claremore, Okla. TAMIU swept the season series last season outscoring the Hillcats 14-5.