Midwestern makes quick work of Saturday to take sweep over Zias

Midwestern State wasted little time finishing off a three-game Lone Star Conference softball series sweep of Eastern New Mexico University on Saturday.

Catcher Kim Jerrick and third baseman Kelley Schaefer blasted three-run homers and the 22nd-ranked Mustangs run-ruled ENMU for the third game in a row, winning 10-2 at Zia Softball Field in a game which lasted five innings.

MSU (19-4, 3-0 LSC), which entered the day with a .404 team batting average, pounded out 10 hits in the contest. The Mustangs finished the series with 30 hits, including seven home runs.

Laci Belovsky (12-2) picked up her third win of the series, including one in relief in Friday's second game. She allowed five hits and one earned run, with one walk and five strikeouts.

Midwestern jumped on Zias starter Katie Ramsay (1-10) in the top of the first. Jerrick opened with a single to left and stole second, Courtney Bingham drew a one-out walk and Schaefer homered to right field on a 2-0 pitch.

Two walks and an infield hit loaded the bases, and left fielder Heather Howarton's sacrifice fly drove in the fourth run.

The Mustangs made it 6-0 on Shelby Carter's two-run double in the second. The Zias responded in the bottom half when Erica Amendarez and Alberta Medina opened with singles, putting runners at the corners, and catcher Aurelia Sandoval reached when her RBI grounder was thrown away by Carter at shortstop for an error.

After a wild pitch by Belovsky, Ramsay drove in the second run with a sacrifice fly to center.

The Mustangs rebuilt their lead in the third, though, on an error, a single by Carey Campbell and Jerrick's LSC-leading ninth homer, a three-run shot to center field.

MSU added a final run in the fifth when Bennett reached on an infield hit, stole second and scored on Bingham's double to right field.

Jerrick, who bats leadoff, came into the day second in the league in batting average (.521), behind only Bennett (.530). Jerrick also leads the LSC in runs batted in (33), and runs scored (34) and came in ranked third in hits (37) and tied for fourth with Bingham in doubles (nine).

All five hits for the Zias were singles.

ENMU returns to action next weekend with a three-game conference series at Angelo State. The teams will play a 5 p.m. (MDT) single game on Friday, followed by a noon (MDT) doubleheader on Saturday.