Lady Coyotes finish first season 2-9

Staff writer

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DORA —The Eunice Lady Cardinals found the left side of the field to their liking on Monday as 10 of their 16 hits went to that side in a 16-0 victory over Dora in a game that ended after three innings on the 15-run rule.

Staff photo: Matthew Asher

Dora eighth-grader Kimberlee Rains slides safely into third base during the third inning of the Lady Coyotes’ softball matchup on Monday against Eunice at Dora. Eunice overmatched the first-year Lady Coyotes and posted a 16-0, run-rule victory in three innings.

It was just a rough game for the first-year Dora program. After the Lady Coyotes (2-9) retired the first batter of the game, the next five scored for Eunice (8-14), which sent 11 total batters to the plate in a six-run first. All five hits of the Lady Cardinals hits in the inning were near the left field line.

“We play in the district with Dexter and Loving where the girls throw really hard,” Eunice coach Chad Pierson said of the number of hits pulled to left. “Our girls are learning to get quick with their hands, and I think with Dora (pitching slower, it) let our girls get to the balls early.”

Dora pitcher Kirsten Tapia seemed to get back in control as she sent the next four Lady Cardinals down in order before running into trouble again in the third inning. Eight straight Eunice batters safely reached base before the Lady Coyotes could record the second out of the inning.

The back-breaker came in the third when, with Eunice leading 9-0 and the bases loaded, sophomore Aide Frazier hit a ball that hit off the top of the center field wall and bounced over for a grand slam, making it 13-0. Before the inning finally ended, Eunice sent 14 batters to the plate.

A total of five Dora players reached base safely. The Lady Coyotes’ only hit in the game was a single by sophomore Brenna Bates in the third inning.

While it was a rough way to end their inaugural campaign, Dora coach Paul Luscombe was pleased with the season overall. He knows building a program from scratch is not without its problems.

“We won two games, and I’m pleased with that,” Luscombe said. “There were games we weren’t in that we should have been in. There were games that we held our own, like against Roswell Goddard.”

Pierson said he’s looking forward to seeing how Dora improves before next spring.

“Dora’s young, but they’ve got a lot of effort out there,” Pierson said. “We’re happy to have them on our schedule and see them down the road.”

Luscombe cited his squad’s difficult schedule as a way to help the Lady Coyotes improve over time.

“We had a tough schedule this year,” Luscombe said. “We went to the Artesia tournament and played (Class) 4A and 5A schools, so I’m overall happy with the development of the group.

“Overall, we won two games, so we’re ahead of my expectations. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”