PORTALES, N.M. – In two different types of games, Eastern New Mexico Softball took a split with Western New Mexico on Monday afternoon at Greyhound Softball Field. In the opening game, ENMU led throughout in a 4-1 victory over the Mustangs. In game two, the teams combined for 30 runs and 32 hits, as the Mustangs came away with a 17-13 win over ENMU.
GAME ONE: ENMU 4, WNMU 1
After a 1-2-3 top of the first inning,
Aylene Lucero started the Greyhound bats with an infield single, then
Valeria Contreras reached on a bunt single in the first inning. WNMU secured two outs, but
Alondra Vasquez doubled to center field to score the game's first run.
Meilana Lopez followed with an RBI single to center field to score Vasquez, giving ENMU a 2-0 lead.
Miranda Guillen kept the WNMU hitters off-balance in the circle, surrendering the odd single over the next few innings, keeping ENMU's 2-0 lead going into the middle of the 5
th.
Eastern put up another two runs in the 5
th inning, taking advantage of a WNMU error. Lucero reached on an error to start the inning, then moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Contreras doubled to deep right field to score Lucero, then moved around the bases to score on a pair of ground outs, giving ENMU a 4-0 lead. Western New Mexico made the game closer in the top of the 7
th, leading off the inning two hit-by-pitches and a single to right to score their first run. Guillen shut the door on the Mustangs with a fielder's choice and a strikeout, earning a 4-1 win for Eastern.Â
NOTABLE STATS
- Eastern outmatched the Mustangs for hits, 8-6, with Contreras going 2-2 at the plate with a double. Lopez also supplied multiple hits, while Vasquez picked up two RBIs, and Contreras scored twice.
- Guillen tossed a complete game in the circle, scattering five singles and a double, giving up one walk and two hit batters. Guillen struck out 10 batters over the seven innings, marking the third time this season they have reached double-figures for strikeouts.
- For the Mustangs, Labraida Tenorio pitched all six innings for WNMU allowing four runs (two earned) with five strikeouts and one walk.
GAME TWO: WNMU 17, ENMU 13
The scoring started early and often in game two, with WNMU leading ENMU 10-9 after the first three innings. WNMU started with three runs in the 1
st inning, only for the Greyhounds to respond with five runs in the bottom of the inning. ENMU scored five runs on six hits and two walks, with four different batters recording RBI singles. The lead swung back to Western with three runs in the top of the 2
nd, while ENMU took the lead back with three more runs, 8-7.
Grace Rofii supplied an RBI single,
Emily Marsh scored a run on a RBI groundout, and
Alexa Ayala posted a pinch hit single to give ENMU the lead after the 2nd inning. However, three runs for Western New Mexico and one run for ENMU in the 3
rd, gave the Mustangs the lead back (10-9).
After a scoreless top of the 4
th inning, ENMU took back the lead with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Marsh walked to start the inning, then advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Skylar Hardin provided a pinch-hit single to tie the game at 10-10, scoring Marsh. Hardin moved to third on two more wild pitches, then eventually scored on an RBI groundout from Contreras. With ENMU leading 11-10 in the top of the 5
th, Western New Mexico put up three runs to take the lead back from ENMU, using three walks and three hits to score the runs. Over the next two half innings, both teams hit a solo home run, with Vasquez hitting a solo shot to right field, as WNMU led 14-12 after six full innings. The Mustangs added three insurance runs in the 7
th, while Guillen punched an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to get a run back for ENMU. In the end, Western New Mexico out lasted the Greyhounds, 17-13, in a game that lasted 3 hours and 42 minutes.
NOTABLE STATS
- Western New Mexico finished with 18 hits in the game, including four doubles, a triple, and home run. Vasquez' home run was the only extra base hit for ENMU, as the Greyhounds had 16 hits in total. Both Vasquez and Christina Meneses got three hits, while Rofii collected two hits and two RBIs.
- Jordan Rivera started the game and re-entered in the 7th inning, finishing with 11 runs allowed on 11 hits over 3.1 innings. Cierra Smith gets the loss in 1.2 innings of work, walking five batters with three hits given up. Maggie Smith faced 11 batters over two innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a strikeout.
- Alixe De Anda earned the win for the Mustangs, allowing five hits in three relief innings, giving up three runs. Madison Kloepper gets a save, finishing the game with three innings pitched, allowing two hits, two runs, and four walks, while striking out three batters. Haiven Schoolcraft started the game, allowing five runs on five hits over 0.2 innings. Kiya Hamar got the final out of the first inning, then allowed four hits and three runs to begin the second inning.
- The game was the highest scoring contest in series history between the two schools, surpassing the pervious record of 25 runs from a 18-7 loss for ENMU in 2005.
Eastern heads out on the road for its next games in LSC play, traveling to Wichita Falls, Texas to face Midwestern State. The first pitch of the opening game is scheduled for 12 p.m. (MST) / 1 p.m. (CST).
