Thursday, April 16, 2015

LUBBOCK, TEXAS — Junior catcher/infielder Kyra Sirag (Garden Grove, Calif./Rancho Alamitos HS) entered today's doubleheader at Lubbock Christian (33-11), looking to build on her performance from last week against the Lady Chaps (4-for-7). She did exactly that with a .500 performance at the plate with a homerun, but the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (16-26) dropped a non-conference doubleheader at Plains Capital Park.
 
LCU edged Eastern in the opener 6-5, and pulled away to win the nightcap by a 9-2 score. Junior third baseman Morgan Green (Carmichael, Calif./Del Campo HS/Sacramento City College) batted five-for-six over the two games.
 
The Eastern New Mexico University softball team will open a four-game Lone Star Conference series at Texas Woman's, on Saturday. The first game of the doubleheader will start at 12 p.m. MT.
 
Game 1
Aja Secheslingloff (Fr., P, Acampo, Calif./Lodi HS) went the distance in the opener and issued just one walk. Eastern pounded out 12 hits in the contest, matching their highest hit total in the 15 games played against LCU.
 
The contest went back and forth with the Zias scoring three runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Green's two-out single knotted the score at 3-all and Aurelia Sandoval (Sr., DP, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS) gave Eastern the lead with a two-run double. With two outs and a 2-2 count in the Lady Chap fifth, Sammie Murrietta drive a base hit up the middle. Jessica Loiacano followed with a game-tying homer to center field. Molly Davison led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a single and stole second, before LCU capitalized on an error to take a 6-5 lead.
 
The Zias held a 12-8 edge in total hits, and outhit the Lady Chaps for the first time since February 13, 2010. Green batted three-for-three with a sacrifice bunt, while Sirag hit three-for-four. Loiacano and Ashton Bell both homered for Lubbock Christian, while Kelsey Hoppel allowed five runs on 12 hits to earn the win.
 
Game 2
A leadoff walk to Amanda Martinez (Sr., CF, Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown HS/El Paso CC) followed by a passed ball and wild pitch allowed Eastern to take a 1-0 lead in the nightcap. The Lady Chaps quickly responded in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out, game-tying homer from Murrietta.
 
Lubbock Christian added a pair of runs in the third inning and took a 3-1 advantage into the sixth frame. After a one-out walk to Sirag, a single from Audrey Velasquez (Sr., LF, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) and a wild pitch, Eastern had the tying runs in scoring position with one out. Starting pitcher Courtney McGee struck out the next batter, before Green's single through the right side plated Sirag from third base. The Lady Chaps caught Velasquez in a run down between home and third base to escape the jam and retain a 3-2 lead.
 
The defensive play fueled LCU offensively in the bottom of the inning. Lubbock Christian sent nine batters to the plate and scored six runs to pull away for the win.
 
LCU held an 11-5 edge in hits. Green led Eastern at the plate with a two-for-three performance. McGee went the distance to earn the win and scattered five hits.
 
Notes
Eastern also had 12 hits against the Lady Chaps on February 13, 2010 in the second game of a road doubleheader
 
Green has hit safely in five straight games