CANYON, Texas (Feb. 15) – For the second straight day the Pioneers' offense erupted for 23 runs to win two games on the final day of the WT Woodward Invitational in Canyon, TX.  TWU defeated Metro State 13-3 before closing out the tournament with a 10-8 victory over Colorado School of Mines.
 
After a scoreless first inning against Metro State, the Pioneers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on a two-run home run by junior Celina Ortiz.  Senior Kendra Sancet made it 3-0 in the top of the third with a RBI single.  After the Roadrunners scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, TWU made it 7-1 in the sixth.  The Pioneers scored four runs on four straight singles, a squeeze play and a double.
 
TWU batted around in the seventh to score six more runs to make it 13-1.  The big hits of the inning were a two-run double by junior Laura Mabary, a two-run single by senior Sarah Wittenburg and a two-run home run by Sancet.  Metro State scored its final two runs in the bottom of the seventh.  Sancet finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI while sophomore Tori Bice pitched a complete game for her third win of the season.
 
In the second game, Colorado School of Mines jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with an unearned run.  TWU responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning.  The first four batters of the inning reached base for the Pioneers and they scored two runs before sophomore Alyssa Galaz tripled to bring home two more runs.
 
TWU batted around in the second and scored six more runs to take a 10-1 lead.  The big hits of the inning came on two-run double by freshman Tylia Sylestine and a two-run home run by Galaz.
 
The Orediggers rallied by scoring two in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth to make it 10-8.  Bice came in relief and pitched the final two innings for her first save of the season.  Junior Bailee Wortham started the game and picked up her second win of the year after pitching three innings.
 
"I am proud of the girls for bouncing back to win four straight after struggling on Friday," said TWU head coach Genny Stidham.  "We still need to straighten out our pitching but I am very pleased with our offense.  We have lot of good hitters on the team and most of them had good at bats this weekend."
 
TWU sophomore Katy Stephens batted 7-for-11 in the six games over the weekend and drove six runs.  Sancet drove in a team-best 13 runs on five doubles and three home runs while Mabary recorded nine RBI and Wittenburg brought home eight runs.  Sophomore Nicole Nordie scored 10 runs while junior Tealey Farquhar, Mabary and Sancet crossed the plate nine times each.
 
The Pioneers will return to action when they travel to San Antonio, TX, to play in the Rattler Invitational on Feb. 20-22.  TWU will face Oklahoma Christian and Central Oklahoma on Friday, Feb. 20, Oklahoma Christian and Texas A&M-International on Saturday, Feb. 21, and the host St. Mary's on Sunday, Feb. 22.