PORTALES, N.M. – The 2023 Lone Star Conference slate is winding down with just three conference foes left to matchup against Eastern New Mexico. Before the Hounds welcome Texas Woman's for a three-game set, please take a look at the Four Bases:

First Base – Painting Corners: The ENMU pitching staff saw some bright moments from a pair of underclassmen in a three-game series with Midwestern State. Freshman Marissa Rodriguez came in clutch in relief of Brook Leger. Rodriguez managed to go 10.1 innings of work allowing just two runs (one earned) and a pair of walks. She struckout eight batters and lowered her ERA from a 4.50 to a 3.67 after the outing. Her teammate, sophomore Emma Southerland, got the nod in game two of the doubleheader. The Texas native went a complete seven innings for just the second time this season. Southerland managed to allow just three run (two earned) on ten hits and two walks. She earned her sixth win of the season and improved her ERA from a 5.22 to a 4.85.

Second Base – MVP (Mikenzey Valuable Patterson): Mikenzey Patterson showed why she is one of the toughest outs in the Lone Star Conference in last week's series with MSU. The senior outfielder began the stretch of play with four-straight bunt singles. Her base running was effective as she stole two bases to lock herself in at fourth all-time in program history in that category. She also improved her batting average from .369 to .397. Patterson also earned her fourth triple of the season, which is the most by an LSC student-athlete in 2023.

Third Base – Lone Star Tourney Implications: With just nine conference games remaining for ENMU, the LSC postseason picture is a toss-up for the final (10th) spot. Three teams are with .006 percentage points away from being the last team entered into the tournament hosted by the regular season conference champion. Texas Woman's (12-18 LSC .400) and Texas A&M International (12-18 LSC .400) are tied for tenth and ENMU (13-20 LSC .396) sits in sole possession of twelfth. The Hounds hold the tiebreaker over the Dustdevils and look to carry the other tie breaker with a series win over the Pioneers Tuesday and Wednesday.

Home – The Matchup: TWU leads the overall series over ENMU, 66-19, but the Greyhounds have won the last two meetings as they took a two-game sweep over the Pioneers in Portales in 2022. The Hounds beat the conference foe in game one (4-3) and game two (4-2). Azalea Martinez had a career-type day as she went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in game one and 2-for-4 with a triple in game two. Jennifer Gress and Kianna Galindo both had two hits in the first game, including Gress' first career homer. In the final contest of the day, Mackenzie Shaw recorded a hit and Gress added a double. One player to watch for in the Texas Woman's lineup is pitcher Alyssa LeBlanc. The junior is a transfer from Texas A&M Commerce and sports a 1.70 ERA with a 13-9 record in the circle. She has an alarming 211 strikeouts through 135.2 innings of work. LeBlanc also is a threat at the plate with 16 homers and ten doubles in 2023.