The final three weeks of the 2024 softball regular season have arrived.
On Friday afternoon, the Sul Ross State Lobos dropped the first game to the Howard Payne University Yellow Jackets in five innings by a score of 12-1.
It was a reversal of fortune in Game 2 as the Lobos split the twin bill with an 8-7 victory at the Lobo Softball Field.
>> GAME 1:
It was a tale of two different games.
After two-straight scoreless innings, Howard Payne pushed across four runs on four hits in the top of the third to take a 4-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 7-0.
Sul Ross State erased the shutout in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single through the left side by
Vivian Jimenez that brought in
Adriana Hernandez.
Howard Payne put the finishing touches on the contest when it rallied for five runs on five hits in the top of the fifth.
The Yellow Jackets hit back-to-back home runs in the inning. Elise Munoz highlighted the rally with a three-run home run.
>> RECORDS: Howard Payne (12-20); Sul Ross State (13-18)
>> GAME NOTES:
- The Lobos had six hits.
- Samantha Chavez went 1 for 2 with a single and a walk.
- Ciera Avila had a single to go 1 for 2.
- Valeria Aguilar went 1 for 1 with a single.
- Hernandez tallied a single to go 1 for 2.
- Kyndell Garcia went 1 for 2 with a double.
- Jimenez finished 1 for 2 with a single and an RBI.
>> GAME 2:
Howard Payne went up 1-0 in the top of the first.
The Lobos got on the board in the bottom of the second with a solo home run to left by
Kaitlynn Frakes. Chavez later drove in the go-ahead run with a single to center.
On three hits, Howard Payne managed to flip the script by scoring five runs in the top of the third to lead 6-2.
Sul Ross State fought back to tie the game at six-all in the bottom half of the third.
Garcia hit an RBI single while Frakes drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to right to get the Lobos within two runs.
Garcia then scored on a wild pitch while
Samantha Bustos later came across the plate on a passed ball.
Howard Payne took the lead back in the top of the fourth on an RBI ground out to short.
Chavez tied the game up in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single to left center.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth,
Elizabeth Clemente hit what ended up being the game-winning home run when she belted the ball over of the fence in left center to break the 7-7 tie.
>> RECORDS: Sul Ross State (14-18); Howard Payne (12-21)
>> GAME NOTES:
- The offense had 12 hits.
- Chavez went 2 for 2 with two singles, two stolen bases, two walks and two RBI.
- Garcia finished 3 for 4 with three singles and an RBI.
- Lily Wiser had a double to go 1 for 4.
- Clemente went 2 for 4 with a single, home run and an RBI.
- Frakes had two RBI to go 1 for 3 with the home run.
- Jimenez finished 2 for 2 with two singles, three stolen bases and a walk.
- Bustos went 1 for 2 with a single, a walk and two runs scored.
- The Lobos swiped eight bags.
- Leanza Chambers improved to 7-6 after throwing 1.1 innings allowing one hit.
>> UP NEXT: The Lobos finish the series with a single game at 12 p.m. CDT on Saturday, April 20.
