LAREDO, Texas – The Newman softball team started Heartland Conference play with two losses at Texas A&M International on Friday (Feb. 27) at Dustdevil Field. The Jets scored four early runs in game one, but fell on a late run, 5-4, and in the nightcap, TAMIU pulled away for an 8-2 victory. NU dropped to 0-2 in the Conference and 2-11 overall.
 
TAMIU 5, NU 4
 
The Jets scored four runs in the first inning to build a 4-0 advantage, but the Dustdevils rallied for a 5-4 victory.
 
Kelsey Jones started the scoring in the first with a single to right center field to bring in two NU runs. Courtney Sartin and Taylor Mannis came home on the single. Annie Gentry brought in the next run on an RBI groundout. Breanna Pingry scored from third. Jones made it 4-0 in favor of the Jets when she stole home.
 
TAMIU took advantage of NU's only error of the game, scoring one run in the second inning. The Dustdevils tied the score at 4-4 with three runs in the third inning. A single to center field plated the first run of the inning for a 4-2 score. A wild pitch allowed the next TAMIU run to come home for a 4-3 score. The game was knotted at 4-4 after a single down the leftfield line scored another Dustdevil run.
 
The Dustdevils took a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning with a double down the line for the game-winning run.
 
NU totaled only three hits in the game. Jones, Sartin and Alyssa Jarman all went 1-for-3.
 
TAMIU's Mariena Gallardo started in the circle, going 7 innings and allowing the three hits and four runs, one earned, with two strikeouts. Jensen Cromer got the loss for the Jets.
 
TAMIU 8, NU 2
 
NU got on the scoreboard first again in the second game, but TAMIU plated seven runs in the second inning to pull away for the 8-2 win in game two.
 
A Pingry single in the first scored Mikayla Medbery for a 1-0 NU lead in the first inning.
 
The Dustdevils matched the Jets with one run in the first. A walk with the bases loaded scored the one TAMIU run for the 1-1 tie.
 
TAMIU took control of the game with seven runs in the second inning. The big inning started with a double to left field to score the first run. A single to left made it 3-1, and then a three-run home run put the Dustdevils up 6-1. The final two TAMIU runs scored on two NU errors for the 8-1 advantage.
 
NU scored another run in the seventh inning when Sartin hit a sac fly to centerfield to score Kaitlyn Padilla.
 
Sartin went 2-for-3 with one RBI, and Gentry was also 2-for-3. NU totaled eight hits.
 
Katie Ingles started the game at pitcher, going 1 inning and allowing four hits and five earned runs. Jones came in to pitch 5 innings and allowed five hits and two runs.
 
The three-game series ends tomorrow (Feb. 28) with one game at 12 p.m. at Dustdevil Field. Live stats and video will be available.