The Midwestern State softball team spent the past week displaying superb athleticism against Cameron University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
MSU hosted two consecutive games against Cameron University which ended 5-1 and 2-0 respectively.
The Aggies got on the scoreboard in the second inning but barely had time to celebrate before the Lady Mustangs took over the lead. Amanda Karth, who was at bat twice, scored Cameron’s only run of the afternoon before Courtney Ford, Kelley Schaefer and Carey Campbell undid her effort.
Of course the Lady Mustangs were not done scoring; Campbell got on the scoreboard one more time before Kim Jerrick made the fifth run in the fourth inning. Jerrick then went ahead to win the second fixture with runs in the first and third innings.
The Lady Mustangs travelled to Kingsville where they extended their winning streak with remarkable score lines. The triple-header ended 10-7, 17-13 and 10-9 in favor of Midwestern State.
MSU took a commanding 6-0 lead in the second inning with runs from Christina Roosmalen, Courtney Bingham, Elena Bennett, Campbell, Ford and Jerrick. The Javelinas narrowed the visitors’ lead with three runs in the third inning and one in the fourth. Yvette Berlanga, Kodie Garner and Rose Stubbs made the third inning runs while Lex Cordova’s fourth inning run was as a result of an illegal pitch.
Uncomfortable with the 6-4 score line, the Lady Mustangs made four additional runs within two innings.
Schaefer scored on a throwing error in the fifth whereas Bennett made her second run in the sixth inning. Kallie Noble and Lisa Licata added the last two runs for MSU as the guests led 10-4 in the seventh.
The Javelinas’ runs in the seventh inning were sufficient to trip the gap between their opponents but not enough to make a comeback or steal a win. The Lady Mustangs went ahead to win the match 10-7.
“There is still a lot to learn,” said Head Softball Coach Brady Tigert. “We are doing well enough to win but we want to be better.”
The day got more interesting for MSU who launched a scoring binge in its second encounter with TAMU-K. Nicki Duff, Mallory Money, Bingham, Roosmalen and Schaefer each scored to prompt the Lady Mustangs’ 5-0 lead at the top of the first. MSU added four more runs in the second inning courtesy of Jerrick, Bennett, Bingham and Schaefer.
TAMU-K did not score until third when four hits resulted in four runs. Jaeleen Castro scored a homerun while Berlanga, Stubbs and Garner made runs to finally get their team on the scoreboard.
“We are still making some mistakes we need to fix but overall we are very happy with the wins,” said Tigert.
However, Noble, Duff, Licata and Campbell scored in the fourth inning to immediately cancel the effort the Javelina’s had made moments earlier and earn a 13-4 advantage. The hosts’ lone-run at the bottom of the fourth barely made a difference in the score line especially Megan Chartier and Mooney ran two more points for the Lady Mustangs.
The Javelinas made an impressive improvement with four runs a piece in the fifth and sixth innings. The Lady Mustangs, on the other hand, had two runs a piece in fifth and sixth inning and went ahead to claim its second victory of the day.
After a day’s rest, the Lady Mustangs edged another intriguing victory over the Javelina’s to claim their ninth consecutive triumph. Jerrick, Bennett and Bingham had two runs a piece while Chartier, Duff, Campbell and Mooney each made a run to make up Midwestern State’s 10 points.
Nevertheless, MSU’s unbeaten run was halted when they visited Cameron Tuesday. The Aggies beat MSU 2-1 with Schaefer scoring the visitors’ only run.
Midwestern State Will host Abielene Christian University this Friday. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
