Friday, March 06, 2015
PORTALES, N.M. —
Aurelia Sandoval (Sr., C, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS),
Elizabeth Velasquez (Sr., LF, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) and
Susannah Chandler (So., SS, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS) all homered, but the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (12-6; LSC 0-2) dropped Friday's Lone Star Conference opening doubleheader to sixth-ranked Angelo State (17-1; LSC 4-0) at Zia Field. The Rambelles won the opener, 6-3, and withstood a late rally to claim the nightcap by a 6-4 score.
The losses were the first suffered at home by the Zias this season and snapped a five-game home winning streak, dating back to last season's finale. The teams will conclude the series on Saturday, with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon.
Game 1Freshman pitcher
Aja Secheslingloff (Acampo, Calif./Lodi HS) held Angelo State hitless through two innings and scoreless through three, which allowed Eastern to strike first.
Morgan Green (Jr., 3B, Carmichael, Calif./Del Campo HS/Sacramento City College) led off the Zia third and took second base on a dropped fly ball. After moving to third on a
Marleyna Piñon (Jr., RF, Rio Rancho, N.M./Volcano Vista HS) sacrifice, Green scored for a 1-0 lead on a double from
Amanda Martinez (Sr., CF, Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown HS/El Paso CC). The Rambelles sent eight batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored three times, starting with a Meagan Granado homer.
With two outs in the Zia fourth inning,
Elizabeth Velasquez cracked a two-run blast, for the 11
th homerun of her career, to pull Eastern even at 3-all. The Rambelles capitalized on an error on the sixth inning and scored three runs to seize a 6-3 advantage.
Angelo State held an 8-6 edge in total hits. Martinez and
Audrey Velasquez (So., 1B, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) both doubled and had a pair of hits for ENMU. Secheslingloff went the distance for Eastern and scattered six hits with three strikeouts. Kenedy Urbany allowed eight hits and homered for the Rambelles.
Game 2Much like the opener, the Zias scored first in the nightcap. Sandoval's two-out RBI double in the first inning plated
Jaqueline Candelaria (Sr., 2B, Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas HS) for a 1-0 lead. The teams traded runs over the next couple innings, with the Rambelles taking the lead for the first time on Cara Sheppard RBI double in the fourth inning. Angelo State sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth and scored three runs to take a 6-2 advantage.
Eastern cut their deficit in half with homers from Sandoval and Chandler in the sixth frame. With walks to
Simone Laurenz (Fr., PH, Portales, N.M./Portales HS) and
Kyra Sirag (Jr., DP, Garden Grove, Calif./Rancho Alamitos HS) sandwiched around a single from
Audrey Velasquez, the Zias managed to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, to put the potential game-winning run on base. ASU pitcher Brandy Marlett escaped the jam to earn the win.
The Rambelles held a 13-9 edge in total hits. In the sixth inning, Sandoval tossed out Brooke Mangold at second base, to extend her team record to 35 runners thrown out. She also batted three-for-four with a pair of RBIs. Piñon added two hits, which included a triple. Marlett went the distance, scattered nine hits and struck out seven batters for Angelo State.
NOTESElizabeth Velasquez is just one homer behind Tracy Jordan (12) for tenth on the ENMU career list
