After two weeks of Lone Star Conference action, Texas A&M-Commerce and UT Tyler remain unbeaten at 8-0.
LSC teams are playing a single round-robin schedule with a doubleheader (two games) against each league opponent starting on March 5. The LSC Champion will be the team(s) with the best winning percentage in regular-season conference games.
LSC schedule and results available here:
http://www.lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=softball&&
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
HITTER
Madison Fernandez, Angelo State, FR, Nursing, Infield, San Antonio, Texas, John Marshall HS
Fernandez had a phenomenal weekend for Angelo State, registering seven hits in 11 at-bats against Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M. Fernandez finished the weekend with a .636 batting average, scoring six runs with three doubles and three home runs for a total of 12 RBI. She started the week with a perfect 2-for-2 effort against the Greyhounds with two runs and three RBI and then concluded it with a 4-for-5 effort versus the Lady Buffs accounting for three runs and six RBI. For the season, she is batting .391, registering 18 hits and scoring 14 runs, four doubles, four home runs, and 23 RBI for the season.
PITCHER
Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian, SO, Nursing, Pitcher, Artesia, N.M., Artesia HS
Crandall, the LSC co-leader in pitching wins with 10, picked up three more for the Eagles during a 3-1 week. In a complete-game 4-1 win over Texas A&M International, she had 10 strikeouts while allowing only four hits. She then pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win in a wild 12-10 win over TAMIU played in soggy conditions. In a 3-2 win over No. 18 Texas A&M-Kingsville, she again went the distance, allowing only four hits and one earned run while striking out six.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Hitter
F-9 Brooke Makemson, Lubbock Christian
F-23 Shanna McBroom, West Texas A&M
M-2 Ruby Salzman, West Texas A&M
M-9 Uxua Modrego, Texas A&M-Commerce
M-16 Madison Fernandez, Angelo State
Pitcher
F-9 Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce
F-23 Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian
M-2 Erika Cortez, Texas A&M International
M-9 Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas A&M-Commerce (2)
M-16 Kali Crandall, Oklahoma Christian
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Kinsie Hebler, Texas A&M-Commerce, helped the Lions to another 4-0 week with a stellar week at the plate, hitting .600 with 6 RBIs, as the Lions had 3 run-rule wins. She also had five walks, drawing at least one walk in each game. She is 9th in the LSC in on base percentage in conference play, 4th in walks with 8, and 3rd in HBP with 3.
Darrian Smith, Texas A&M International, was an offensive force for the Dustdevils in their four games over the weekend. In the two losses to Oklahoma Christian, she went a combined 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two walks drawn. In Sunday's sweep of Cameron, Smith went 4-for-7 in the two games with two doubles, a home run, four RBI and two runs scored. All total, she hit .583 for the weekend with a .643 OBP and 1.083 slugging%. The four consecutive games with a hit moves her hitting streak up to nine games, the longest by a Dustdevil in two years.
Haleigh Swinney, UT Tyler, scored six runs and went 8-for-14 from her leadoff role in the lineup as the Patriots moved to 8-0 in Lone Star Conference play with doubleheaders sweeps over UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico over the weekend. She capped off her weekend with a 4-for-4 performance in game number two against Western New Mexico with three runs scored and an RBI in the 14-6 run rule of the Mustangs. She crossed home in three of the four games over the weekend and posted an on-base percentage of .625 for the four contests.
Kayla Gonzales, Texas A&M-Kingsville, put together a week in which she hit a scorching .556 and homered three times with 11 RBIs in five games. Against Cameron in the second half of a doubleheader on Friday, Gonzales went 4-for-5, knocked out two homers, drove in five runs and scored four times in an 11-7 Javelina win that locked up a twin bill sweep. Two days later against Oklahoma Christian, in the second game of another doubleheader, she picked up two more knocks and drove in three runs as the Javs won 8-2. Gonzales capped off her week with a 3-of-3 day that included another long ball and three more RBIs in a 9-1 triumph over Southeastern Oklahoma State on Monday. No one in the LSC can claim a higher batting average than Gonzales' .571.
Bari Christian, St. Mary's, was a tough out for St. Mary's opponents this week. The junior centerfielder recorded five hits, scored five runs, and drove in five runs to help lead the Rattlers to a 4-0 weekend. In two wins against Midwestern State, Christian was 1-for-4 with two runs scored. Christian was dominant in a sweep over Texas Woman's on Sunday, going a combined 4-for-5 with three triples, a double, and five RBI.
Brooklin Bain, Oklahoma Christian, the LSC freshman of the year in basketball, has transitioned seamlessly to the softball field, where she turned in clutch performances while posting a .688 on-base percentage and 1.182 slugging percentage as the Eagles went 3-1 on the week. Her sixth-inning RBI triple helped give OC two key insurance runs in a 4-1 win over Texas A&M International and her solo home run with two outs in the sixth in the second game over TAMIU tied the game at 10-10 and OC eventually won 12-10. She walked twice and scored three times in that game. She drove home a game-tying run in the fifth inning of a 3-2 win over No. 18 Texas A&M-Kingsville and went 2-for-3 in the Eagles’ only loss of the week, 8-2 to TAMUK.
Khmari Edwards, Cameron, was near impossible to get out at the plate for the Aggies this weekend against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International. The sophomore second baseman started out the weekend with a 1-2 performance against one of the top pitchers in the LSC, Sadie Castillo, and then added a three-run homer in the first inning to tie the second against the Javelinas. Edwards really did damage against the Dustdevils, going 3-4 with three RBI, another homer, and two runs scored in game one and then going 2-4 with two RBI and a run scored in the second. She finished the weekend with eight RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage to go along with four stolen bases and a perfect fielding percentage.
Kaylee McQuillan, St. Edward's, was strong at the plate as the Hilltoppers came home for the first time this season. She helped SEU to a 3-1 record this weekend including two upset wins over MSU.
Ruby Salzman, West Texas A&M, continued to show that she is a threat at the plate as the sophomore hit .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, a triple and home run for an impressive .933 slugging-percentage over four games. The California product helped the Lady Buffs to a 3-1 weekend finish with victories over Lubbock Christian and #24 Angelo State. Against the nationally-ranked Rambelles she hit .556 and was responsible for seven of WT's 26 runs. Salzman now leads the conference with eight home runs.
Alex McLennan, St. Mary's, was dominant out of the bullpen for St. Mary's this weekend. The senior appeared in all four games earning two wins and two saves to lead the Rattlers to a weekend sweep of Midwestern State and Texas Woman's. McLennan tossed two innings in relief each game against Midwestern State without allowing a hit. In game on against Texas Woman's, McLennan threw four innings giving up just one hit to earn the win. In game two, McLennan tossed 2.1 innings and allowed one hit and one run, an unearned run.
Taylor Franco, Lubbock Christian, went 1-1 on the week, with a tough 1-0 loss in a complete game at West Texas A&M, before following with a complete game shutout win at Eastern New Mexico. She had three-hit performances complete game performances in each game. At ENMU, she struck out six and walked one batter, as LCU won 10-0 for Franco's sixth complete game shutout of the season and seventh she has been part of. In the 11.0 innings pitched on the week, she only allowed one leadoff batter to reach base safely.
Payton Foster, UT Tyler, picked up wins in both of her starts against UT Permian Basin and Western New Mexico for #8 UT Tyler over the weekend. She allowed just a single earned run in her 13.2 innings thrown and recorded a complete game effort in Friday's start. She went all 7.0 innings and allowed just three hits to pick up the win against UT Permian Basin. The Lufkin, Texas native nearly posted her second complete game effort of the weekend on Monday's start against Western New Mexico, throwing 6.2 innings of work while striking out six and shutting out the Mustangs. Foster sports a 6-3 record on the year and ranks second in the LSC with a 0.89 ERA for the year.
Emily Otto, Texas A&M-Commerce, earned a pair of wins this week, allowing only two runs in 12.0 innings. She had 7 strikeouts in each win over Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin. She is 4-2 on the season with five complete games, three shutouts, and 2.41 ERA for the year.
Saidi Castillo, Texas A&M-Kingsville, claimed two more wins in as many starts to push her win total to 6-0. She started the week by tossing seven innings of one run ball against Cameron on Friday, striking out seven and stranding runners in scoring position in the each of the last two innings in a 2-1 Javelina victory. Two days later, she took the mound against No. 10 Oklahoma Christian and again permitted only one earned run while throwing a complete game. She held the Eagles to only six hits with two more strikeouts while TAMUK came away with another win, 8-2. Castillo's 2-0 record was accompanied by a 1.26 ERA and she held the opposition to a .196 batting average in 14 1/3 innings.