Sunday, March 22, 2015
PORTALES, N.M. — Freshman pitcher
Aja Secheslingloff (Acampo, Calif./Lodi HS) allowed just three solo homeruns as the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (15-13; LSC 3-9) earned a 7-3 win in the final game of the weekend's Lone Star Conference series against Cameron University (24-3; LSC 7-1). The win snapped the Aggies' LSC best 17-game win streak and avenged a 7-6 setback in the first game of the day at Zia Field.
The victory snapped ENMU's five-game losing streak to the Aggies and improved the Zias to 7-14 in the series. The last time Cameron suffered a loss this season, came against Texas-Permian Basin on February 19. Eastern out hit the Aggies in three of the four games over the weekend.
The Eastern New Mexico University softball team will return to action on Friday, to open a LSC doubleheader at Texas A&M-Kingsville. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT.
Game 2Secheslingloff used 113 pitches to scatter eight hits, fan five, and walk just one batter to notch her 11
th victory of the season. All three of CU's runs were solo homeruns to lead off the second, fourth and fifth innings.
Amanda Martinez (Sr., OF, Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown HS/El Paso CC) drove a one-out to double in the Zia first inning, took third on an error and scored on one of
Susannah Chandler's (So., SS, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS) season-best four hits. Eastern loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning and added a run when
Jacqueline Candelaria (Sr., 3B, Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas HS) beat third baseman Emily Nix's throw to the plate. Chandler followed with a two run single and scored on a wild pitch, to give ENMU a 4-1 lead.
Aurelia Sandoval (Sr., RF, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS) drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the third frame and moved into scoring position on a Candelaria sacrifice.
Audrey Velasquez (So., 2B, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) delivered a two-out single to plate Sandoval and extend the Zia advantage. Back-to-back doubles from
Kyra Sirag (Jr., C, Garden Grove, Calif./Rancho Alamitos HS) and Chandler in the fourth gave Eastern a 7-2 lead. Breezy McComas' pinch-hit homer to lead off the Aggie fifth provided the final margin. Secheslingloff retired seven of the final eight batters to earn the win.
Eastern improved to 9-0 when holding a lead after four innings and 9-6 when scoring first. Chandler batted four-for-four with four runs batted in and a double. Katelyn Craker allowed six runs over two innings to suffer her first loss of the season.
Game 1A two-run homer from Sirag in the bottom of the first inning of the opener, staked Eastern to its first lead of the series. Cameron capitalized on a leadoff triple and a sacrifice fly to seize a 3-2 advantage in the third inning.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the Zia fifth, Sirag blooped an infield single to the right of starting pitcher Kelsey Watson, and tie the game at 3-all. After Secheslingloff worked around a two-out walk in the Aggie sixth, the contest went into the seventh, still tied. After a pair of singles, Chelsea Long set Cameron up with a sacrifice bunt. Tara Martini followed with a sacrifice fly. Designated player Paige Daino was struck by a pitch and Lauren Renneker followed with a three-run homer to give the Aggies a 7-3 advantage.
Facing a four-run deficit, Eastern managed to load the bases with one out. Chandler drove a sacrifice fly to right field. One batter later, McComas drifted back in right field, but was unable to come up with a ball off the bat of
Morgan Green (Jr., 1B, Carmichael, Calif./Del Campo HS/Sacramento City College), which allowed Martinez and Sirag to score. Green advanced to third on the error, but Watson escaped the jam to register her 11
th win of the season.
Audrey Velasquez and Sirag combined to hit seven-for-eight.
Audrey Velasquez also drove in three runs, scored twice and doubled. Watson scattered 10 hits and allowed four earned runs with nine strikeouts.
NotesThe Zias are 15-4 when they out hit the opposition
Audrey Velasquez has reached base in 24 straight games, Martinez in 20
The teams combined for 12 homeruns since the 2009 LSC series against Tarleton State (12, also at home)
