Saturday, February 18, 2017
SILVER CITY, NM — A late offensive surge and strong overall defensive performance lifted the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (8-9; LSC 3-0 to a series sweep at Western New Mexico (0-14; LSC 0-3). The Mustangs held an 11-6 edge in hits during the finale, but Eastern turned two timely double plays on the way to a 4-2 victory. The Greyhounds also closed out an 8-7 win from yesterday's suspended game at WNMU Softball Field.
The win gave ENMU its first five-game win streak since April 2007. The contest marked the first LSC series win for the Hounds since they won two of three at Texas A&M-Kingsville, late in the 2013 season. The last time ENMU swept a LSC series came in the 2006 season against West Texas A&M.
The contest was a pitcher's duel, with neither team able to push a runner across the plate until the fourth inning. The Mustangs had their first two baserunners reach in both the second and third innings, but Eastern turned double plays each time to escape the jam.
Eastern received all the offense they needed in the top of the sixth, and sent nine batters to the plate. The Hounds took advantage of two sacrifice flies, and three walks.
Kylee Keller and
Susannah Chandler started off the inning with singles. After a walk to
Kamalani Peneku loaded the bases,
Samantha Brockman cracked a sacrifice fly to centerfield to even the game at 1-all.
Tiana Faagalulu drew a walk to reload the bases, and
Cameron Conrad followed with a go-ahead single. A third run was pushed in on a walk to Adriana Carbajal, and
Erikka Burke's sacrifice fly gave ENMU a 4-1 lead.
The Mustangs also managed to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the frame, but the Greyhound defense continued to rally. Back-to-back ground balls to
Kaylee Rogers and
Susannah Chandler resulted in outs at the plate, before Western could score. A RBI single from Linzy Granger pulled WNMU within 4-2, but Rogers induced a ground ball to Keller at third to limit the Mustangs to one run after sending seven batters to the plate. Rogers limited WNMU to one hit in the seventh to earn her fifth win of the season.
The Mustangs stranded 10 baserunners in the game to Eastern's seven. Brockman extended her consecutive-game hit streak to six, while Keller has reached safely in 17 straight and Peneku in 12. Burke and Chandler both doubled for the Hounds. Rogers scattered 11 hits and fanned three to earn a win in her third straight start.
Resumption of Yesterday's Game
Prior to today's series finale, the team's finished yesterday's suspended game. Rogers earned her first save of the season with two hits allowed over 1.1 innings, and worked around an error in the seventh.
After Western New Mexico seized a 3-0 lead yesterday, the Hounds closed to within one run on RBI singles from Chandler and Brockman in the third inning. WNMU retaliated with a run in the fourth, but ENMU capitalized on an error to plate five runs in the top of the fifth. WNMU scored three of the final four runs, which included an unearned run in the seventh, but centerfielder
Ashley Lopez tossed out the potential tying run at the plate.
The Eastern New Mexico University softball team will return to action on Tuesday, to host Lubbock Christian. The first game of the doubleheader will start at noon.
