Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Eastern New Mexico University's softball team got off to a rousing start in the second game of Friday's Lone Star Conference-opening softball doubleheader against Midwestern State at Zia Softball Field when freshman right fielder Marley Pinon belted a first-inning grand slam.
Unfortunately, the Zias weren't able to hold off the 22nd-ranked Mustangs.
MSU finally pulled away with 10 runs in the top of the sixth and beat the Zias 15-5 to complete a sweep.
The game ended after six on the eight-run rule. In the opener, the Mustangs scored five in the fifth and run-ruled the Zias 9-1 in five innings.
The teams complete the three-game set with a single contest today at noon.
ENMU (6-20), swept for the first time in five home doubleheaders this spring, stunned the Mustangs (18-4) in the first inning of the nightcap.
After loading the bases with no one out on a single and two walks, MSU's Katherine Batey almost escaped, getting a strikeout and a pop-up and jumping ahead of Pinon with a 1-2 count. Pinon, though, belted the next pitch over the left field fence for her first college home run and a 4-0 lead.
The Mustangs took the lead with three in the third and two in the fourth, but ENMU pulled even on freshman Kyra Sirag's two-out RBI single in the fifth. Sirag took third on a single by Lizzy Velasquez before Laci Belovsky (11-2), who tossed a one-hitter in the opener, relieved Batey and got Erica Amendarez on a pop-up to short.
The Mustangs ran away in the sixth. They collected six hits off three ENMU pitchers, including Katelyn Vinson's grand slam and Kim Jerrick's three-run shot.
In the opener, Belovsky allowed only two baserunners — a leadoff walk to Amendarez in the second and a leadoff homer by freshman center fielder Jacqueline Candelaria in the third.
Third baseman Kelley Schaefer hit a two-out solo homer to cap a two-run MSU first, and left fielder Haley Howerton banged a two-run double in the second. The Mustangs' five-run fifth included two-run homers by shortstop Shelby Carter and Vinson.
The Zias, who stranded only three runners all day, prevented further damage in the twin bill by turning three double plays.
