CANYON, Texas – Eastern New Mexico closed out the West Texas A&M Invitational with a pair of wins over Fort Lewis.
Game 1
Brook Leger pitched a complete game to aid ENMU to a five-inning, run-rule victory Sunday morning.
The senior ace allowed just four hits and struckout four batters.
A pair of walks in the first inning gave a scoring opportunity for the Hounds, but the team was unable to plate a run to begin the morning.
Instead, the second inning proved to be the first attack for ENMU as
Jokaira Paredes reached on an error and advanced to second off a passed ball. Then,
Mikenzey Patterson positioned a bunt in prime position down the third base line to give the Greyhounds on the corners.
A
Katelyn Cifuentes walk loaded the bases and a fielder's choice with an out at third scored Paredes and allowed
Jennifer Gress to reach base.
Azalea Martinez hit an RBI-double down the left field line scoring Cifuentes and giving her team the 2-0 lead after two innings.
No team found much success offensively until the bottom of the fourth where Easter plated three runs.
The sequence to setup the runs came from a Patterson single off another bunt, a Cifuentes sacrifice bunt, Gress walk, and Martinez strikeout. That brought up
Alondra Vasquez who hit a three-run bomb to left center and gave Eastern New Mexico a 5-0 advantage heading into the fifth.
"I was trying to be disciplined at the plate so I can make good contact with the ball," said Vasquez after the game. "I wanted to put my team on the board and in a better position to win the game."
Leger garnered two strikeouts in the fifth and Eastern headed into their half of the frame needing three runs to run-rule the Skyhawks.
The inning began with an
Ashley Nickerson walk. Head coach
Amanda Fefel called
Raegan Chioino to pinch run for Nickerson. The new runner on base advanced to second on a passed ball and placed herself in scoring position. Her teammate
Jokaira Paredes hit a double to left and gave the speedy Chioino time to score.
Leger struckout and Patterson had a four-pitch walk to become the potential game-winning run.
Well, five pitches later the "potential" was removed from the story as Cifuentes cleared the bases with a double to left center.
Game 2
Leger got the start for the Hounds in game two as she went one inning of work allowing FLC's only runs over the morning in the opening frame.
A two-run shot to left center gave the Skyhawks the early 2-0 lead.
Eastern answered back immediately in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer by Vasquez – her second dinger of the day.
Emma Southerland came in relief for Leger in the second and controlled FLC's offensive attack.
Through six innings in the circle, she allowed just three hits and struckout three batters.
"I wanted to stay within myself and work for outs," said Southerland after the flawless performance. "I trusted in my team to have my back. I think it was a really good outing and everyone held it down together. Shout out to Jenny for making those great catches in the outfield."
In the third inning, ENMU plated the eventual game-clinching run with a Nickerson RBI-double.
The top of the fifth was a key moment defensively for the Hounds as
Jennifer Gress made two snags to keep FLC from scoring in the frame.
"My mindset was to play to the last out and do what I know how to do best and that's to catch some balls," said Gress after the team's sweep over FLC. "If I could do anything for my team that would have to be to take pressure away and have fun making plays."
Southerland continued to have herself a day in the circle and clinch the 3-2 victory for her squad.
The Hounds move to 8-4 as they head into Lone Star Conference play with a three-game set in San Antonio beginning Friday against St. Mary's. The games will be livestreamed on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network.
