BJ Laudermilk | Sports Editor

The No. 13 A&M-Commerce Lions softball team concluded their regular season last weekend with a three-game sweep at Texas Woman’s University.

In game one, the Lions started the scoring early, and never trailed in a 7-3 win. Mariah Jameyson hit a homerun in the third inning, her 21^st of the year, and broke her own single-season homerun record that she set last season. Kayla Kilcrease was one of three Lions with multiple hits in the game, picking up three RBIs in the game. Emily Otto pitched a complete game, striking out five and only allowing four hits. With the win, Otto improved to 15-4 on the season, a new single-season record for wins as a Lion pitcher.

The Lions would then sweep the doubleheader, picking up 13-0 and 6-4 wins. The first game of the day saw the Lions held scoreless early on, not pulling away until the fourth inning, when Kinsie Hebler and Bri Sims each hit two-run homers to give the Lions a lead they would not give up. Kilcrease would also add in a homerun, and Jameyson, despite the Pioneers efforts to not pitch to her, still had two hits, including a three-run homerun, driving in four in the game. The Lions led 6-0 after six, but emptied the bench to pull away in the seventh, scoring seven times to reach double digits. Otto got the start and tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just five hits and striking out three, picking up her 16^th win of the season.

In game three, the Lions would use a late comeback to seal the sweep and set a new program record. The Lions held a 2-1 lead in the fifth before the Pioneers took their first lead of the series at 3-2. The Lions would rally in the sixth, loading the bases to start the inning before getting three consecutive RBI singles, tallying four runs in the inning and taking a 6-3 lead. The Pioneers would get a run back in the sixth, but would not make a seventh inning comeback. Katie Dean was the starter and picked up the win, moving to 13-1 on the season. Lacie Bullard earned her first save of the year by pitching the final two innings. With the win, the Lions moved their record to 38-8 on the season, setting a new team record for wins in a season.

Jameyson would finish the series with three hits in three at-bats, hitting two homeruns, driving in five RBIs, and walking 10 times, nine times intentionally. Her perfect batting average, on-base percentage, and 3.000 slugging percentage was enough for her to be awarded the Lone Star Conference Co-Hitter of the Week, winning the award for a conference record fifth time this season. Jameyson was also named the LSC Player of the Year, a first-team All-LSC selection, and a part of the All-Academic team.

The Lions will now begin postseason play, starting off in the Lone Star Conference Tournament. A&M-Commerce is the third seed and will play sixth seed Texas A&M-Kingsville in the quarterfinals today at 11 a.m. If the Lions advance, they would face second-seeded West Texas A&M in a semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. The winner of that game would then play for the tournament championship Saturday at 2 p.m. The Lions were the fourth seed in the latest regional rankings, with the top eight seeds qualifying for the postseason. A&M-Commerce will find out where the rest of their postseason run will begin Monday morning at 10 a.m.