Saturday, April 25, 2015

PORTALES, N.M. — Sophomore Susannah Chandler (INF, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS) batted .429 over the final two games of the season, scored and drove in another run. The Eastern New Mexico University softball team dropped a 10-2 decision in the opening game of the doubleheader and fell, 17-7 in the nightcap.
 
After the first contest, the Zias honored six senior players: Jacqueline Candelaria (Los Lunas, N.M./Los Lunas HS), Aurelia Sandoval (RF/C, Farmington, N.M./Piedra Vista HS), Elizabeth Velasquez (3B/LF, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS), Amanda Martinez (CF, Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown HS/El Paso CC), Vanessa Ramirez (P, Lubbock, Texas/Lubbock HS) and Savannah Chavez (RF, Albuquerque, N.M./Valley HS).
 
Game 2
After the seniors were honored, Eastern ignited its offense and send nine batters to the plate. Chandler's two-out RBI single staked ENMU to a 1-0 lead. Morgan Green (Jr., 1B, Carmichael, Calif./Del Campo HS/Sacramento City College), Sandoval and Elizabeth Velasquez belted consecutive doubles to stake ENMU to a 4-0 lead, with Velasquez coming home on a wild pitch.
 
Katie Ripple (So., Rio Rancho, N.M./V. Sue Cleveland HS) drove a two-out RBI double to right field in the Zia third and scored to give ENMU a 7-0 lead on a Chavez single. Tarleton State exploded in the fourth inning with seven of their eight runs coming on a three-run blast from Mikayla Stogsdill and a grand slam from Nyka Wood, which gave them an 8-7 advantage. After tacking on a run in the fifth, the TexAnns plated eight unearned runs in the sixth and the game ended due to a lead in excess of eight runs.
 
Candelaria batted two-for-three, while Ripple hit two-for-two. Shelby Hedrick tossed 2.1 innings of relief to earn the win.
 
Game 1
Martinez helped ENMU got off to a strong start in the opener with a leadoff walk and taking second on a sacrifice from Candelaria. After Martinez stole second, she was struck with TSU catcher Nyka Wood's throw and scored to stake ENMU to a 1-0 lead.
 
The TexAnns answered with a five-run second inning and surged to a 9-1 lead in the fifth inning. Audrey Velasquez (So., 1B/SS, Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces HS) cut the deficit to seven with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, but Deleney Wayland's solo homer in the sixth pushed the margin back to eight and the game ended after Eastern's at bat.
 
Martinez hit two-for-three, stole a base and scored twice. Chandler also batted two-for-three. Haley Freyman went the distance for Tarleton State and earned her 19^th win of the season.
 
Notes
Martinez reached base safely in each of the final five games of the season
 
Morgan Green batted .308 in the four-game series with a .923 slugging percentage