4/12/2019 | Softball | Box Score

SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico softball team dropped a heartbreaker in the opening game of the series as Western New Mexico scored a pair of runs late, including the walk-off hit in extra innings to hand the Hounds a tough 4-3 defeat on Friday.

The Greyhounds (10-24, 6-16 Lone Star Conference) jumped on the board first in the top of the first inning. After Elysa Rodriguez reached on a bunt single and Samantha Brockman walked, the red hot bat of Jennifer McElroy knocked in Rodriguez with an RBI double to right center to make it an early 1-0 Hounds advantage.

After ENMU starting pitcher Kimberly Herron recorded a three-up, three-down first, the Hounds carried the momentum into the second as Kayla Marshall ripped an RBI double to left field to score Parker Smith from first to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Mustangs (5-27, 4-18 LSC) rallied back with a run in the third and a run in the fifth to tie the score at 2-2, but Adriana Carabajal put Eastern back in-front in the sixth on a pinch-hit RBI double to left, plating Lauren Likes to make it a 3-2 ballgame.

The Greyhounds took that one-run edge into the bottom of the seventh, but WNMU’s Ariana Maldonado hit the game-tying home run to send the game into extra innings.

Eastern was able to put the go-ahead run on second after Likes reached on a single to center and stole a base, but the Hounds couldn’t quite capitalize on the opportunity.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Mustangs scored the winning run on an RBI single by Marina Garcia to snap Eastern’s eight game winning streak over Western.

Western New Mexico scored its four runs on 11 hits with no errors while the Hounds tallied their three runs on eight hits with one error.

Seven different Greyhounds recorded hits in the contest, led by Rodriguez who went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Herron had a solid start while getting a no-decision, throwing 6.2 innings and giving up just three earned runs on 10 hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Eastern will look to rebound in the series tomorrow as the Hounds will play a doubleheader against the Mustangs starting at noon.