Lady Buffs fall in extra-inning thriller to Saint Leo in NCAA DII semifinals

The #6 West Texas A&M Lady Buffs saw their 2026 season end on Sunday afternoon in a dramatic extra inning semifinal at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, falling 5-4 to the top ranked Saint Leo Lions in the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Saint Leo appeared poised early, but WT delivered defensive highlights, including a diving play in center by Emily Liskai that erased a potential two-out hit in the fourth inning and kept the game scoreless at the time.

The Lady Buffs broke through in the bottom of the fourth, as Abby Howell delivered a double to right center that drove in Jordyn De Los Santos, followed later by a Brooke Janning single that extended the lead to 2-0.

WT added an insurance run in the fifth and carried a 3-1 edge into the late innings, but Saint Leo surged back with aggressive baserunning and a late three run home run in the seventh to seize momentum and a 4-3 lead.

WT answered in the bottom of the seventh, tying the game at 4-4 on a clutch single before the contest moved into extra innings where both teams battled through tense defensive frames.

Saint Leo ultimately broke through in the tenth with a solo home run, while WT could not respond in the bottom half despite traffic on base, sealing the 5-4 finish.

Laci Peskey delivered a strong relief outing despite taking the loss, working 3.1 innings while allowing one earned run on one hit without issuing a walk and striking out three, highlighting WT’s bullpen effort under pressure. The Lady Buffs close the year with resilience after a deep postseason run, marked by timely defense, clutch hitting, and multiple lead changes against an elite Saint Leo squad that advances to the championship stage moving forward together always.