Friday, April 15, 2016
PORTALES, N.M. —
Kiana Zerr scattered 11 hits to lead the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (13-37; LSC 4-22) to an extra-inning 5-4 win, to open a senior-weekend series against Texas Woman's University. The Pioneers (29-17; LSC 17-9) bounced back to claim the nightcap of Friday's Lone Star Conference doubleheader by a 9-8 score at Greyhound Softball Field.
"I expect my girls to play that well," said head coach
Katie Welborn. "That expectation is reality."
One day prior to the doubleheader, Texas Woman's was ranked third in the first NCAA Division II South Central Region poll of the season. The victory was Eastern's 20
th against TWU and snapped a 16-game skid in the series. ENMU's last win over Texas Woman's came by an 11-8 score on March 18, 2011. The victory also gave the Hounds their highest LSC win total since the 2013 season.
Erikka Burke has reached base in seven straight games, while
Audrey Velasquez saw her streak reach five contests.
The Eastern New Mexico University softball team will conclude its series with Texas Woman's, with a Saturday doubleheader. The first game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. MT. The team's four seniors will be honored at the conclusion of the games.
Game 1Tealey Farquhar had two bunt singles in the opener, and scored the game's first run on a first-inning squeeze bunt from Nicole Nordie. TWU's Tori Bice made that lead stand and only allowed one runner into scoring position through five innings. The Pioneers also threatened in the fourth inning, when Nordie and Laura Mabary reached base to lead off the frame, but Zerr retired the next three batters.
In the sixth inning,
Katie Ripple registered ENMU's third hit of the game, when she lined a single up the middle on a 1-1 count. One out later,
Erikka Burke drove her eighth homer of the season to left field, to give the Hounds a 2-1 advantage.
Katy Stephens led off the TWU seventh inning with a game-tying homer, before Lindy Kennedy doubled to left field. Just like the fourth inning, Zerr retired the next three batters to escape the jam. The Pioneers jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning, but left the bases loaded when Zerr induced a ground ball from pinch hitter Sydney Hester.
For the second time in three innings, Ripple led off an inning, and she walked on four straight pitches. After a subsequent walk to Velasquez put the tying run on with no outs, Hailey Dixon relieved Bice in the circle. After a hit from Burke and an errant throw from the Pioneers,
Susannah Chandler registered a walk-off single to left field, to plate
Kyra Sirag with the winning run.
"The girls knew they could do this," said Welborn. "And they had to do this to be proud."
Zerr earned her second straight win after throwing 106 pitches and felt confident despite TWU gaining momentum in the eighth inning. "I knew that our hitters backed me up," she said. "They had my back." Her three runs allowed was her fewest since allowing the same number in an eight-inning win at Oklahoma Christian. The sophomore pitcher has won three of her last four decisions, with three complete games over that span.
Ripple batted one for two, drew a walk and scored twice. She also reached base both times she led off. "That was huge, really huge," said Welborn. "I have all the confidence in the world in her."
Green, Chandler, and Burke, all had two hits for Eastern. Farquhar had two hits for TWU along with two stolen bases.
Game 2Each team put one run on the board in the first and third innings of the nightcap, but the Pioneers tacked on three in the fourth frame. Amanda Gray hit a leadoff-goa ahead homer, and Farquhar hit a two-out, two-run single. ENMU got one run back in the bottom of the inning, when
Mariah Rodriguez scored on an error after she hit a one-out double.
Texas Woman's plated the next four runs, and held a 9-3 advantage after the top of the sixth inning. The Hounds responded by sending nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Ripple followed with a two-run blast.
Kyra Sirag cracked a RBI double, before she scored on a single from Chandler. After a RBI single from Marleyna Piñon, the Pioneers managed to get the inning-ending out at third base, but Eastern had closed within a single run, 9-8.
Burke worked around a one-out walk in the top of the seventh to keep the deficit to a single run, but the Pioneers brought Dixon out of the bullpen to notch the save.
Chandler batted four for four with three RBIs and a double, while Burke and Sirag each had two hits. Nordie paced TWU with three hits and four RBIs.
