WICHITA, Kan. — Late rallies in both games allowed Texas A&M International to earn a doubleheader sweep against the Newman softball team Friday evening in Heartland Conference action at Newman Softball Field.
GAME 1
Key Sequence
The Jets (4-21, 1-9 Heartland) led it 2-0 since the bottom of the first, but the Dustdevils (8-20, 5-5 Heartland) stole the momentum in the top of the sixth. A leadoff walk started the inning, and the guests followed with a pair of doubles around a flyout that each drove in a run, allowing TAMIU to tie it and eventually earn a 3-2 win in nine innings.
How It Happened
-Newman took an early lead in the first, as Taylor Mannis got aboard on an infield single and stole second, allowing her to score on Emma Eck's sacrifice fly. Paige Wallace doubled the lead on a swipe of home.
-Starting pitcher Nique Payne took the lead and ran with it, allowing just a pair of singles and a walk in the first five innings. That worked to hold the lead for the Jets, whose bats were quieted by TAMIU as well.
-Neither team got anything going in the seventh or eighth, as the game ticked on to the second extra inning. That's where the Dustdevils' Maddison Schofield stepped up though, as she led off the top of the ninth with a solo home run to left center to give the guests their first lead. Eck and Tyesha Morgan both singled in the bottom half of the inning, but despite a runner at third with one out, Newman couldn't push her home.
GAME 2
Key Sequence
The longball once again made a difference in the nightcap. Samantha Edmiston cranked the second of the game and the third of the day for the Dustdevils to lead off the top of the seventh. That proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth 4-3 win for TAMIU.
How It Happened
-Mannis got the offense going early for the second time on the day, laying down a bunt single to start the bottom of the first, stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch. That allowed the senior to score on Abby Davis' single that fell inside the line in left and grant the Jets a 1-0 lead.
-An RBI double in the top of the second tied it up for the Dustdevils, but Bayley Horsch answered quickly with a solo shot to right center in the bottom half that put Newman back in front. Another homer from TAMIU in the fourth would draw the visitors even again, and two doubles in the first three batters in the fifth gave them their first lead of the game.
-A four-pitch walk to Bailey Bugner started the bottom of the sixth, and the freshman moved up to second on a wild pitch and to third on Adrienne Esposito's sac bunt. That set the stage for a suicide squeeze with Horsch at the plate, and she dropped the second pitch of the at-bat up the first-base line, allowing a hard-charging Bugner to score and tie it at 3-3.
NOTES
-Chantel Purcella pitched superbly in relief in both games, but suffered tough-luck losses in each. A solo home run in each were the only two baserunners she allowed in 5 2/3 innings of work, and the junior recorded nine strikeouts against the 19 batters she faced.
-Eck went 3-for-3 in the first game, and finished the day 4-for-6 with a double and an RBI. Davis posted three hits on the day, while Mannis and Morgan each added two.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets get another shot at the Dustdevils in Saturday's series finale at 11 a.m. back at Newman Softball Field.
