Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
CANYON, Texas - Eastern New Mexico had the Ashley Hardin, the Lone Star Conference's preseason player of the year, down 0-2 after two pitches Saturday afternoon.
Hardin evened the count, doubled, took third on a wild pitch and score on another wild pitch. Later in the inning, Harding hit a grand slam to chase starter Kimberly Herron.
The rest of Saturday didn't go much better for the Greyhounds as West Texas A&M, ranked No. 12 in Division II, took an 18-2 victory to open a Lone Star Conference doubleheader.
Kilee Halbert pitched her first career no-hitter in the second game to send ENMU to an 8-0 loss. The three-game sweep ended ENMU's season at 18-34, 9-21.
With the sweep, West Texas A&M finished the regular season at 38-10, 21-6). The top six teams in the LSC will compete in the postseason tournament hosted by top-seeded Texas A&M-Commerce.
Hardin finished 6-for-8 on the twin bill with seven RBIs to lead a 24-hit attack, and her eighth career grand slam broke a Division II record previously held by former Buff teammate Allie Cranfill.
Outfielder Jennifer McElroy accounted for both of ENMU's runs in the opener, hitting a two-run homer in the third inning. McElroy and first baseman Erikka Burke, who scored on the homer, both went 2-for-3 on the game.
The homer was McElroy's eighth of the year, the highest total for a freshman since Kristen Cruickshank hit 10 in 2007. It was also the team's 52nd homer of the year, with the team hitting 29 in 2017.
