March 12, 2008

Box Score

CANYON, Texas - The West Texas A&M softball team was clipped by the Adams State Grizzles in a pair of close games at Lady Buff Yard on Wednesday afternoon, falling in the first game by a 4-3 margin before dropping the nightcap in extra innings, 8-5.

The setbacks drop the Lady Buffs' overall record this season to 12-15, while Adams State improved to 15-4 on the year. WT jumps back into conference play this weekend when it heads to San Angelo, Texas, to face No. 4 Angelo State in a three-game Lone Star Conference South Division series.

The Lady Buffs return home on April 5th when they welcome Tarleton State to Lady Buff Yard for a three-game LSC South home stand. The TSU series will be "Pack the Yard" weekend sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings.

Game #1 Recap - (Adams State 4, West Texas A&M 3)
Adams State was able to build a 4-0 lead thanks to a Kymber Keith solo home run in the third inning and a three-run outburst in the fifth frame, but the Lady Buffs rallied to make a game of it in the home half of the sixth.

After the first two hitters reached base, freshman third baseman Audrey Wallace came to the plate with one out in the inning. The Amarillo, Texas, native changed the game with one swing of the bat as she slammed her third home run of the season over the outfield wall to plate all three runs.

The long ball came off ASC starter Sarah Lindquist, who was replaced by senior Megan Roberts. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., product quieted the Lady Buff rally as she did not allow a hit while retiring the game's final five outs to pick up her third save of the season.

Game #2 Recap - (Adams State 8, West Texas A&M 5 - 8 Innings)
Freshman Kaitlyn Witte connected on her team-leading fifth home run of the season and junior speedster Rachel Cavallaro raced around the base paths for an inside-the-park home run, but it was not enough to lift WT to a win in the day's second game.

After the Grizzlies had put up a two-spot on the scoreboard in the top of the third, the Lady Buffs went to work during their half of the inning. With a runner on second and two outs in the frame, Witte made sure the Buffs would not be held scoreless in the inning by driving a 1-1 pitch from ASC's Roberts out of the park to tie the game at 2-2.

Adams State plated a run in both the top of the fourth and the fifth to send the game to the bottom of the fifth with a 4-2 lead, but again the Lady Buffs rallied. After the leadoff batter was retired, Cavallaro stepped to the plate and slapped a pitch past the drawn in defense and down the left field line. The Fort Collins, Colo., native motored around the bases and slid head first into home for the first round-tripper of her Lady Buff career.

Sophomore Amber Farr brought home the tying run on a wild pitch later in the fifth and after neither team was able to push across a score in the sixth or seventh innings, the game went to extra innings.

The Grizzles took advantage of the extra frame and took complete control of the game with a four-run top of the eighth.

WT sophomore catcher Dani Couger tallied the lone RBI of the eighth for the Lady Buffs as she singled in Wallace, who was placed on second to start the inning as part of the international tie-breaker rule.