COMMERCE, Texas (Mar. 27) – The TWU softball team split a doubleheader at Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday with a 2-1 win in the opener before falling 8-0 in five innings in the nightcap.  The Pioneers are now 13-16-1 on the season and 5-4-1 in the Lone Star Conference.
 
Game one was a pitchers' duel between TWU sophomore Tori Bice and the Lions' Courtney Moore.  After two scoreless innings, the Pioneers scored the game's first run in the top of the third.  Junior Laura Mabary singled with two outs, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a RBI single by senior Kendra Sancet.
 
A&M-Commerce tied the game in the bottom of the third with an unearned run.  TWU again used a two-out rally to regain the lead in the top of the fifth.  Sophomore Nicole Nordie walked, stole second and scored on Mabary's RBI single to center field.  The Lions' lead-off batter reached base in each of the next three innings but Bice escaped to pick up her ninth win of the season.
 
In the second game, Texas A&M-Commerce jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning on a grand slam.  The Lions added a run in the second, two in the third and one more in the fourth for an 8-0 lead after four innings.  The Pioneers put runners on base in all five innings including two in the first, third and fifth but could not bring home any runs.
 
"Tori pitched an outstanding game in the opener," said TWU head coach Genny Stidham.  "She got out of some big jams in a one-run game and offensively we were able to put together a couple of two-out rallies to score the two runs.  In the second game, we gave up an early grand slam and never recovered from it.  We put runners on base but could not get the big hit.  I am okay with the split today and we need to try to win the series with a couple of wins tomorrow."
 
The Pioneers will wrap up the four-game series with another doubleheader against Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday, Mar. 28.  The games are scheduled for 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.