Not many teams are playing softball at the level West Texas A&M is at the moment.
The No. 2-ranked Lady Buffs completed their third Lone Star Conference sweep in seven days after beating up Texas Woman’s with a 5-3 win to open the series followed by a pair of 8-0 shutouts to close it out on Saturday and Sunday.
WTAMU dominated UT Permian Basin last weekend in a three-game sweep, then picked up another convincing three-game sweep of Midwestern State on the road during the middle of the week before returning home to Schaeffer Park and handling the Pioneers.
In those nine games, WTAMU outscored UTPB, MSU and TWU by a combined 85-8.
The Lady Buffs have now won 16 straight improving to 20-1 overall on the year and a perfect 12-0 in Lone Star Conference play.
Saturday’s games
WTAMU secured its fourth LSC series of the season with a pair of wins over the Texas Woman’s Pioneers.
The Lady Buffs took the lead for good in the bottom of the first of Game 1 with a three-run inning highlighted by a two-run single from Braeland Booth putting WTAMU up 3-2.
Later leading 4-2, the Lady Buffs picked up some insurance on another RBI single this time from Gabriella Valforte in the bottom of the second to take a 5-2 advantage.
That was more than enough offense for pitcher Heidi Vortherms. Vortherms (9-0) stayed perfect in the circle going a complete game allowing three runs and racking up eight strikeouts.
In Friday’s nightcap, WTAMU broke a scoreless contest with a seven-run fourth inning. Lauren Granger, Brittni Rufus, and Murtha each homered with solo shots in the inning and Granger also drove in a run on an RBI single. Granger finished the game 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
Pitcher Emilee Boyer (9-1) was locked in tossing all five innings of the run-rule victory without allowing a run, giving up two hits with six K’s.
Sunday’s game
The Lady Buffs got the brooms out for the sweep of TWU with another 8-0 blanking on Sunday.
WTAMU quickly jumped on the Pioneers plating three runs in the bottom of the second. Randall graduate Heaven Moreno opened the scoring with a double to center that scored Murtha. Moreno added another double in the fourth for another RBI plating two more runs. On the day, Moreno finished 2-for-3 at the dish with those two doubles and three RBIs.
Vortherms (10-0) made it a quick day handcuffing TWU through five innings registering nine strikeouts without a run and only three hits.
WTAMU continues LSC play when they open the best-of-three series at Oklahoma Christian on Friday.