CANYON, Texas – A five-run sixth inning propelled Eastern New Mexico softball to a 6-4 victory over New Mexico Highlands Friday afternoon to begin the West Texas A&M Invitational.
Azalea Martinez made a big difference at the plate for the Hounds. She began the game with a solo homerun to give her team the early 1-0 advantage.
NMHU's lineup came out strong as they got a pair of runners on base in the first inning, however they were unable to capitalize on the early opportunity.
Eastern managed to get two on base in the second, but two straight outs got the Cowgirls out of a jam and gave them the chance to challenge the ENMU lead.
The strongest scoring opportunities came in the bottom half of the second inning for NMHU. The team began with a walk and double to put a pair of runners in prime position. A walk two batters later clinched the first bases loaded situation for the Greyhounds in the WT Invitational.
An error in leftfield allowed the runner on third to trickle towards home for the first New Mexico Highlands run of the game.
Two additional hitters earned singles and stretched the NMHU advantage, 4-1.
Over the next three innings, both teams battled toe-to-toe as each team got runners on base, but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.
Then, the sixth inning happened.
With two outs,
Taylor Harrison hit a single and
Mikenzey Patterson reached first base on a passed ball after striking out. A
Jennifer Gress single allowed the runners to advance two bases each – eventually scoring Harrison.
On the ensuing at-bat
Azalea Martinez made another highlight play as she connected on a pitch and sent it to right center for a bases clearing triple. The triple is just the Hounds second all season.
The Cowgirls made a switch in the circle and the Hounds had a new arm to go against. Immediately Martinez was able to score on a wild pitch. Two-straight Greyhounds would walk and the final run would come from an RBI single from
Ashley Nickerson.
With a 6-4 lead, the team only needed six outs to pull off the comeback against a foe from the Land of Enchantment.
Through the next two innings, relief pitcher
Taylor Harrison allowed a pair of singles and closed out the game for her first win of the 2023 season.
"My mindset coming into the game was just be the best I can be for my team. I took it inning by inning knowing they had my back the entire time," said Harrison after the win. "My team being able to produce on the offensive side as well as defensively helped my confidence greatly."
The victory brings ENMU to 5-3 as they play two more tomorrow morning at the West Texas A&M Invitational.
"Taylor (Harrison) did a phenomenal job coming in relief for (Brook) Leger. She had complete control of the hitters, keeping them off balance and getting ahead of the count," said head coach
Amanda Fefel on the pitcher's performance. "Our offense came out to a slow start, but it picked up when we needed it. We had multiple players come off the bench to produce late in the game. We fight until the last out and the bench knows it's not over until it's over."
Both games tomorrow will be livestreamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. The Greyhounds will face a tough Colorado Mesa team before a rematch with New Mexico Highlands. For more information, stay up to date with all things ENMU softball on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
