PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico softball team challenged the No. 6 team in the country Angelo State in the first game of the day, but the Hounds dropped a hard-fought doubleheader 13-4, 19-2 on Saturday afternoon at Greyhound Field.
The Saturday doubleheader, presented by J.P. Stone Community Bank provided a thrilling opening game of the day.
The Rambelles (13-1, 3-0 Lone Star Conference) scored the first run in the top of the third after ASU’s Ashlyn Lerma drew a walk and stole second before being driven in on an RBI single by Courtney Barnhill to make it a 1-0 game.
The Hounds (4-7, 0-3 LSC) mounted a strong rally in the bottom of the fifth. Following an Elysa Rodriguez double, sophomore left fielder Jennifer McElroy drove in Rodriguez on an RBI double down the left field line to tie the game up at one. Two batters later, catcher Parker Smith knocked in McElroy on an RBI single to right field to give the Hounds a 2-1 edge.
The Rambelles tied the game back up in the top of the sixth before putting together a decisive 11-run top of the seventh inning to put the game out of reach. The Greyhounds notched a few runs in the bottom of the seventh, but ultimately fell 13-2.
Emma Gary led the Hounds bats, going 3-for-4 from the plate with an RBI, while her sister Hanna Gary pitched a complete game in the loss.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Hounds found themselves down big early after the Belles rattled off eight runs in the top of the first. ASU scored 19 unanswered runs before Eastern broke through in the bottom of the fifth with a Rodriguez home run to right center and a Smith RBI double closed out the 19-2 contest.
Rodriguez went 1-for-2 from the plate with her first homer of the season, tallying an RBI and a run scored while Smith went 1-for-3 from the plate with an RBI. Kimberly Herron took the loss in the circle for the Hounds after pitching 3.2 innings.
The Hounds will look to bounce back next week as they will seek their first LSC win of the season next weekend with a three-game series at Texas Woman’s. The first game of the series is slated for a 5 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Feb. 22 before closing out the series with a doubleheader on Saturday with the first game starting at noon.
