LAWTON – The Cameron University softball team split their double-header with Tarleton State on Friday, taking game one 4-3, and falling in game three 7-4. The split moves the Aggies to 28-11 overall this season with a 10-8 record in Lone Star Conference play.

Game one was a pitching duel to start out, as both starters held the other team scoreless through the first three innings. The TexAnns were the first to get on the board as they scored two on a homer that just cleared the right field fence in the top of the fourth. Cameron responded quick as they scored their first run of the series in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homer from Breezy McComas, her 10th of the season.

The Aggies added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth and took a 4-2 lead. Macy McKay and Misty Dooley both had one out singles to start it out, and then Tara Martini drove in a run on a single of her own. In the next at bat, Lauren Renneker got in the mix, as she singled through the middle to score Dooley and Martini.

Tarleton State would not go down quietly as they scored a run on a passed ball in the top of the sixth, but CU pitcher Kelsey Watson closed the door in the seventh and secured the 4-3 win.

Watson, who is now 14-4, went all seven innings, gave up two earned runs on four hits, and retired 10 TSU hitters via the strikeout. Her 10 strikeouts was her second highest number in a game while at Cameron; she punched out 12 hitters against West Texas A&M back on March 27 of this year.  

Dooley was 3-3 with a run scored and two stolen bases for the Ags in the first game, while Renneker added a pair of RBI.

After a scoreless first inning, Cameron got their offense going in the bottom of the second as Paige Daino and McComas reached on walks to start out the inning. After a perfectly placed bunt by Chelsea DeLong to load the bases, Carly Allerheiligen drove in two runs on a single to left field as CU took the 2-0 lead.

Tarleton State responded quickly, scoring a run on a pair of hits in the top of the third to cut the Aggie lead in half. The Aggies came right back and scored a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, as Renneker opened up the inning with a double and then after moving to third, scored on an RBI sacrifice hit by DeLong to give CU a 3-1 lead.

Cameron kept it going in the bottom of the fourth as Martini drove in Dooley on a single to center to put CU up 4-1 after four. However, the TexAnns would cut that deficit to just one after a couple of CU errors and a hit brought across two runs in the top of the fifth.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Tarleton State would load the bases with just one out, down one run, and capitalize on their last chance as a bases clearing double gave them a 6-4 lead. They then added to that lead scoring another run on an Aggie error. CU would go three up three down in the bottom of the seventh to fall 7-4 in game two.

Katelyn Craker started the game but got the no decision after going five innings and giving just one earned run on five hits with two punch-outs. Sonora Zukerman (8-5) got the loss as she went two innings and gave up two earned runs on three hits with two strikeouts as well.

McKay led the Aggies with a pair of hits in game two, while Allerheiligen added two RBI.

Tarleton State moves to 21-18 overall and 8-8 in LSC play with the split.

The two teams will be back on the field tomorrow as they close out the four game series with a double-header starting at noon.