LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International softball played its first home games of the 2023 season and did so by sweeping Midwestern State by scores of 4-0 and 7-3 to kickoff Lone Star Conference play.

GAME 1: TAMIU 4 Midwestern State 0

After a quiet first two innings, TAMIU (5-7, 2-0 LSC) broke through in the bottom of the third with RBI singles from sophomore Kristin Maldonado and sophomore Tajanae Davis to give the Dustdevils a 2-0 lead.

TAMIU closed the run scoring in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore Jazmyn Cameron belted a pinch-hit two-run homer to right center to make it the eventual final score of 4-0.

Junior Erika Cortez continued her stretch of masterful pitching, allowing just one hit, the third time in her last four appearances she's allowed one hit or fewer.

Cortez's final line consisted of a complete game, one hit shutout, with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Offensively, the Dustdevils had six hits in the opener, with six different players securing a hit.

GAME 2: TAMIU 7 Midwestern State 3

TAMIU wasted no time jumping ahead in game two, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom first on a sacrifice fly by Davis.

The Mustangs (1-8, 0-2 LSC) managed to tie the game 1-1 in the top of the third on an RBI single.

The Dustdevils poured it on in the bottom half of the third, plating five runs to take a 6-1 lead.

Davis drove in her second and third runs of the game on a two RBI double, then was followed by freshman Kennedy Griego's RBI single that drove in graduate Victoria Maldonado, while sophomore Stephanie Torres also scored on the same play thanks to a Midwestern State error.

Freshman Victoria Espinoza rounded out the third inning scoring with an RBI single of her own.

TAMIU concluded its scoring for the game in the sixth inning, when freshman Bridgette Montes hit a pinch-hit RBI single to make the score 7-1.

The Mustangs would make the game closer in the seventh, hitting a two-run home run to end the scoring and make it a 7-3 game.

Senior Darrian Smith got the start for the Dustdevils and in her complete game allowed three runs, two earned, three walks and struck out four.

TAMIU put together 10 hits offensively, as Griego (2-for-3), sophomore Eva Garcia (2-for-2) and junior Kristy Alanis (2-for-2) all put together multi-hit performances.

The Dustdevils close out their opening conference series on Saturday, Feb. 18 against Midwestern State with an 11 a.m. first pitch from the TAMIU Softball Field.