Saturday, February 21, 2015
CANYON, TEXAS — Junior designated player
Kyra Sirag (Garden Grove, Calif./Rancho Alamitos HS) two-out infield single in the top of the seventh inning plated the game-winning run, as the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (10-4) claimed a 5-4 win over St. Edwards University (10-7) Saturday afternoon at Buffalo Sports Park #1. The Hilltoppers withstood a comeback effort from the Zias for an 8-5 win in the opener as the teams split the doubleheader.
The victory was Eastern's third in the 14-game series between the teams. The teams have split the last four meetings. The last time ENMU won at least 10 of its first 14 games came in the 2008 season.
Audrey Velasquez (So., 1B, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) extended her hit streak to 10 straight games, the longest streak for a Zia since a 12 game stretch from Melanie Alderette in the 2012 season.
The Eastern New Mexico University softball team will host a doubleheader on Tuesday, against University of the Southwest. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT.
Game 2 Eastern had runners in scoring position in each of the first two innings, but managed to strike first, in the third inning. After a double play, the Hilltoppers misplayed an infield single off the bat of
Aurelia Sandoval (Sr., C, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS), which allowed her to take second base, while
Amanda Martinez (Sr., CF, Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown HS/El Paso CC) scored from second. Sirag followed with a RBI single and scored for a 3-1 lead on a double to left from
Susannah Chandler (So., SS, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS). The Hilltoppers plated three in the bottom of the fourth, with KP Perch driving in two with a one-out single to pull SEU even.
Martinez led off the fifth with ENMU's third infield single of the game, stole second and took third on another infield single, from
Audrey Velasquez. Martinez came home with the go ahead run one batter later on a squeeze bunt from Sandoval. With two outs in the seventh, Sandoval started another rally with a double, and scored on a single to second base from Sirag. St. Edwards capitalized on an error to score in the bottom of the inning and had the bases loaded with two outs, before freshman pitcher
Kiana Zerr (Los Alamos, N.M./Los Alamitos HS) popped up Faith Roberts to the infield, to end the game.
The Zias held a 13-8 edge in total hits, with seven being of the infield variety. Martinez batted three-for-four and scored twice. She also swiped the 32
nd base of her career, to tie Nikki Gay (2003) for fourth in team history. Zerr (2-1) scattered eight hits over a complete game and allowed three earned runs.
Game 1 St. Edwards got off to a quick start in the opener and took a 7-0 lead after two innings. Hilltopper starter Sarah Debrow just allowed two runners into scoring position over the first four innings and SEU plated an eighth run in the fifth.
Two outs into the Zia fifth, Martinez was stuck by a pitch, and she got Eastern on the board when
Jaqueline Candelaria (Sr., 2B, Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas HS) smashed a double to left field. Eastern sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth and exploded for four runs on six hits to pull within 8-5. Debrow only allowed one base runner in the seventh and notched her sixth win of the season.
Eastern held an 11-10 lead in hits in the contest, but suffered their first loss in eight games in which they have registered at least 10 hits. Eight of the nine Zia starters registered at least one hit in the game. Candelaria batted three-for-four with a triple and run batted in. Alex Mayfield paced SEU with a three-for-four performance at the plate.
