Drue Watkins
Sports Editor
On Feb. 24, the Cameron University softball team swept the UT Permian Basin (UTPB) Falcons in three games.
The Aggies won the final game by a score of 5-3, and the three-game sweep has extended Cameron’s season winning streak by six games; they now sit at an overall record of 14-3 and are ranked number 18 in the NCAA Division II polls.
The Falcons, however, drop to an overall record of 6-11.
Head coach Dennis Furr said he likes how the team has been playing, but there are still things to improve upon, such as mental mistakes.
“As a team, they’ve played the way they should be playing,” he said. “They’re a young team with a lot of talent, but there are still some mistakes that can be fixed. Everyone has to keep their head in the game and not get wrapped up in rankings.”
In the final game of the weekend match-up, Aggies freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Alvarado, sophomore shortstop Brenna Busby and freshman Madyson Marvulli led the way in hitting, with each securing a pair of hits in the game.
Alvarado and senior Annie Combs also had two RBI’s a-piece.
For UTPB, Marzita Rojas led the team with three hits, while Ashlynn Williams got two hits with two RBI’s.
The Aggies opened the game with a strong offensive start, achieving five total hits and scoring four runs.
Furr said getting strong starts is important to the overall feel of a game.
“There has to be an established rule for the game,” he said. “The team should come out and make sure things are going the way they want them to go.”
The scoring started with a two-run homer from Alvarado, with the other two coming by a two-RBI double from Combs.
However, the quick offensive start stopped after the first inning, with neither team breaking the stalemate until the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth, the Aggies struck first—Alvarado singled to left field to get on base, sophomore catcher Callie Busby walked and Marvulli also singled to load the bases with no outs.
Freshman Makaylah Ramirez then came up to bat, but the Falcons’ pitcher walked her, allowing the Aggies to score one run and go up 5-0.
Furr said the team needs to manage offensive consistency and try to avoid any droughts.
“We need to get more hits,” he said. “Not just in the beginning, but all game, all weekend.”
However, the Falcons did not go down easily. In the bottom of the fifth, they came out swinging, scoring three runs of their own. A single from Rojas gave them their first run, with the second and third runs being scored by a Williams single.
Cameron junior pitcher Rylee Willmon held off the comeback from the Falcons, giving up no hits in the final two innings and allowing the Aggies to secure the victory, 5-3.
Willmon earned her sixth win of the season after pitching seven innings, and managed to strikeout nine batters.
On March 2, the Aggies will take on the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions at McMahon Field in a three-game series. The Lions are currently 13-1 overall, and are ranked number 21 in the NCAA Division II polls.
Furr said this is one of their toughest tests yet.
“They’re [the Lions] a good team,” he said, “and they will be tough to beat. What we practice needs to be put in effect on the field. We’ll prepare the best we can and the team has to do the rest.”
