Heartbreaking losses for Greyhounds' softball team

PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico’s softball team was locked in a good one, going back and forth with Lone Star Conference foe Texas Woman’s before ultimately losing a heartbreaker, 5-4, on a seventh-inning homer Friday at Greyhound Field.

The Greyhounds dropped a game under .500 overall (13-14) and in LSC play (6-7) with Friday’s narrow defeat.

It was a game that saw Texas Woman’s go up 2-0, before ENMU came back to forge a 2-all tie, then had Texas Woman’s go ahead 4-2, with Eastern again rallying and tying the game at 4.

That was the score in the top of the seventh when Texas Woman’s plated the go-ahead run. With one out, Jordan Kisselburg walloped a solo home run to center field, putting her team up 5-4, which reliever Abby Walker made stand up by pitching a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.

Eastern had shown fight, though. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, the Greyhounds tied it. They first sliced the deficit in half on Erikka Burke’s one-out solo homer, then worked their way to the tying run with a two-out rally. After Burke’s blast, a fly out moved Texas Woman’s an out away from escaping the inning with a one-run lead. But Samantha Brockman then singled through the left side, followed by an Ashley Lopez single to right that moved Brockman to second. Hanna Gary drew a walk to load the bases, followed by a Karina Moreno walk that forced Brockman home with the game-tying run.

Texas Woman’s pitcher Cheyenne Mahy then came up with a strikeout to avoid any further Eastern damage.

Texas Woman’s grabbed a 4-2 lead in the top of the fourth, but ENMU came right back to tie again in the bottom of that inning.

Elysa Rodriguez led off by getting plunked with a pitch, and took third when Elena Garcia stepped up and clouted a double to right. Burke was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Kayla Marshall came in to pinch run for her.

Abby Walker relieved Mahy and got Jennifer McElroy to fly out, but it was enough for Rodriguez to tag from third and score on the sacrifice to make it a 4-3 game. Garcia moved over to third on the fly out, and she scored when Brockman sliced a single to right, tying the game at 4.

Things were fairly quiet from then until Kisselburg’s homer in the seventh.

Gary (5-4) took the loss for Eastern. Walker (7-7) earned the victory for Texas Woman’s (16-10, 6-4).

Garcia and Brockman (each 2-for-4) were the only Greyhounds to record multiple hits. Burke walked three times.

Brockman slam not enough in Game Two

In Game 2, Texas Woman’s got out to a 6-1 lead, after scoring three times in the top of the third inning, before adding two more runs in the seventh.

The Hounds (13-15, 6-8), trying to avoid a seventh-straight loss, wouldn’t go out quietly, however.

Parker Smith led off the seventh inning with a walk, which was followed by singles from Precious Aguirre and Burke. Two batters later, Brockman blasted a grand slam to left field to cut the deficit to 6-5.

McElroy kept it going with a single to left, but unfortunately, the rally would end there. Courtney Vigil struck out, and then two batters later, Samantha Glover ended the game with a strikeout of her own.

The Hounds will conclude the three-game set with Texas Woman’s today at Noon, as they try to avoid an eighth-consecutive defeat.

Game 1

Texas Woman’s 5, ENMU 4

TWU 020 200 1 — 5 9 1

ENMU 002 200 0 — 4 7 3

Abby Walker, Cheyenne Mahy (5th) and Jordan Kisselburg. Hanna Gary, Leslie Reyes (6th) and Samantha Brockman. W — Walker (7-7). L — Gary (5-4). LOB — Texas Woman’s, 8. ENMU 9. 2B —Texas Woman’s, Mahy. ENMU, Elena Garcia, Kamalani Peneku. HR — Texas Woman’s, Tylia Sylestine, Kisselburg. ENMU, Erikka Burke. T — 1:51. A — 86. Records — Texas Woman’s 16-10, 6-4. ENMU, 13-14, 6-7.

Game 2

Texas Woman’s 6, ENMU 5

TWU 001 030 2 — 6 9 1

ENMU 001 000 4 — 5 12 1

Abby Walker, Cheyenne Mahy (7th) and Jordan Kisselburg. Hanna Gary, Kimberly Herron (3rd) and Samantha Brockman. W — Walker (8-7). L — Herron (1-3). S — Mahy (1). LOB — Texas Woman’s, 6. ENMU 9. 2B —Texas Woman’s, Tylia Sylestine, Abby Walker. ENMU, Courtney Vigil. HR — Texas Woman’s, Hazel Puempel. ENMU, Samantha Brockman. T — 2:31. A — 86. Records — Texas Woman’s 17-10, 7-4. ENMU, 13-15, 6-8.