OKLAHOMA CITY – With a offensive onslaught of 15 hits and nine doubles, No. 6-seed Texas A&M-International softball (26-18) knocked off No. 3-seed Texas A&M-Commerce (28-16) with a 9-3 victory in their first game of the Lone Star Conference Tournament on Friday. 

The Dustdevils got things started in the first inning as Victoria Gonzalez brought in Morgan Chavarria with an RBI double down the right field line to give TAMIU the early 1-0 lead.

The Lions got the run back in the bottom half to bring the game back to even at 1-1. The run scored on an RBI single to right.

TAMIU pushed the lead out to 3-1 in the second inning. Erika Cortez plated both Victoria Maldonado and Briana Arredondo with a double to right field.

They broke the game open and extended their lead in the third inning to 7-1 with four runs. Maldonado drove in Arredondo with a double down the left field line. Chavarria scored Kristi Alanis and Maldonado with a double to left center. Shelby Edwards brought in Chavarria with a single to right.

The Dustdevils added another run in the top of the fifth to push out to 8-1. Heather Ruiz drove in Alanis with a double off the left field wall.

A&M-Commerce cut the lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer over the left field wall.

TAMIU added another run in the seventh to seal the victory 9-3. Edwards drove in Cortez on single to center.

Erika Cortez (15-7) was best in class in the circle for the Dustdevils as she earned the win and pitched a complete game of 7.0 innings with six hits, three earned runs, 10 strikeouts and a walk. Emily Otto (13-6 suffered the loss. 

With the win, the Dustdevils advanced to face off against No. 2-seed Angelo State later today at approximately 4 p.m.