CANYON, Texas – Eastern New Mexico earned a statement victory against Colorado Mesa, 10-9, and dropped a tough contest to New Mexico Highlands, 8-7, on the second day of the West Texas A&M Invitational.

Game 1
One day after only one homerun was hit between two games at the WT Invitational, Saturday morning felt like a homerun derby as the Greyhounds and Mavericks combined for seven dingers in the contest.

Emma Southerland got the start for Eastern in the circle and kept a clean slate over the first inning of work. In the bottom half of the inning, Alondra Vasquez got a hold of a pitch over the plate and got the Hounds on the board with an RBI double.

Colorado Mesa's Rylee Crouch didn't let ENMU hold onto the lead for long as she hit her first of three homeruns in the game during the top of the second.

During the Greyhounds hitting side of the frame, Southerland showed her skills at the plate with a deep shot over the wall at left center. The team took a 2-1 advantage into the third.

The Mavericks began to attack at the plate in the third as they had a solo homerun and Crouch's second homerun as she brought in a runner along the way.

At this point, senior Brook Leger came into the game in relief just one day after she needed the same situation vice versa.

The score stayed in CMU's favor, 4-2, until the bottom of the fourth. That is when Eastern New Mexico got a two-RBI single from Leger and another two-RBI single from Marissa Rodriguez. The team added a fifth run in the frame off a groundout giving Madison Begaye enough time to score and increase her team's lead, 7-4.

Both program's traded one run each in the fifth as Colorado Mesa hit a homer and Leger drove in another runner on a single.

For the second game in-a-row, Azalea Martinez hit a deep shot over the fence and helped create a cushion, 10-5, for her team in the bottom half of the sixth.

The top of the seventh got crazy as a walk and homerun from Crouch got the matchup within three. Two straight singles and an infield fly with runners advancing to third and home on a throw. Then, a double cleared the bases and the game was within one.

Needing two outs, Leger dished out a strikeout and two pitches later forced a foul out to Vasquez to give ENMU the 10-9 victory.

Game 2
Marissa Rodriguez got the start against New Mexico Highlands for ENMU this afternoon. The Cowgirls offense stayed hot all day as they accumulated eleven hits and continued to create scoring opportunities.

Over the game, NMHU left five runners on base and managed to pull out an 8-7 victory.

The first two innings created chances for both teams in that span, but nobody capitalized on the opportunities.

Eastern scored first as Taighen Whitzel (on third) and Marissa Rodriguez (on second) were on base with Jokaira Paredes at the plate. The senior from Tucson, Arizona singled down the left side and drove in Whitzel from third.

The Cowgirls answered with a run of their own and knotted the game.

In the top of the fifth, Eastern New Mexico scored six runs. The rally got started with a solo shot homerun by Ashley Nickerson. Then, Rodriguez walked, Paredes got on via fielder's choice, Mikenzey Patterson singled, and Cifuentes walked with the bases loaded to score a run.

On the next at-bat, Alondra Vasquez took the sixth pitch she saw and smashed it over the left field wall. The grand slam gave her team a 7-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth.

NMHU did not hold back in their half of the inning as they plated seven runs.

Between the two teams, 13 runs were scored in the fifth inning alone.

Over the final portions of the game, ENMU only got one additional hit and was unable to stay undefeated at the WT Invitational.

The weekend action ends Sunday with a pair of games against Fort Lewis. The first contest will begin at 8 a.m. MST and a second game will follow at 10:15 a.m. Both will be livestreamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network.