ABILENE – Missy Mendoza laced a two-out single that squeezed just past the third base bag to give ACU a 9-8 walk off win in game three and a series win over No. 10 West Texas A&M. The Lady Buffs shutout the Wildcats to take a suspended game two, 5-0 in Lone Star Conference South Division action Saturday at Wells Field.
The series win for ACU improved the Wildcats overall record to 19-14 and more importantly 5-1 in the LSC South while WT fell to 22-6 and 2-4 in conference play. ACU continues conference play at home next weekend as they host Incarnate Word in double-header action on Friday at 5 p.m.
The Wildcats fought back in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 8-8 after WT broke a 5-5 tie on a Kim LeComte home run; however
Sarah Martinez would blast her fifth home run of the season to pull ACU even again.
Megan Brigance would reach base on an error in the bottom of the seventh as she led off for ACU.
Kaylee Crozier would pinch run for Brigance and move to third on a sacrifice bunt from
Candice Miller. Back-to-back intentional walks to
Lyndi Smith and
Erin Gilliland would load the bases for
Ashley Calles who then hit a hard shot to short stop, but a great play throwing Crozier out at the plate would keep the game tied.
However, Mendoza would deliver on her third hit of the game scoring Smith and giving ACU a, 9-8 win.
The Wildcats jumped on the Lady Buffs with a five run second inning scoring on five hits and taking advantage of a WT error. After two home runs from WT in the top of the fourth that knotted the game at 5 all, starter
Shelby Hall would give way to Peyton Mosely who pitched 2.2 solid innings only allowing the three-run homer in the sixth.
Hall would return in the seventh, and get out of the inning when Meghan Brown was thrown out trying to go first to third on an infield single. Hall picked up the win to move to 7-8 on the season.
The 10th-ranked Lady Buffs would take a 5-0 win from ACU in game two setting up the afternoon's rubber match. Marci Womack would stay in the circle from Friday night's suspended game to take a pitcher's duel from
Brittany Rexroat who picked up only her third loss of the season (9-3).
WT picked up all five runs via the long ball in game two of the series as Christie Russell hit a two-run shot in the fourth and Meghan Brown added a lead-off solo shot in the sixth to give the Lady Buffs a 3-0 lead.
Kim LeComte would set the LSC all-time homerun mark in the seventh to extend the WT lead to 5-0 with her 40th career home run to left field.
Rexroat was solid despite the long balls, as she struck out six while only walking two battling through all seven innings.
Mendoza picked up two of the Wildcats five hits as they were unable to get their bats going in the day's first game.
