The Eastern New Mexico softball team defeated Texas Woman’s University in both games on Saturday afternoon to begin the season 2-0 on the road in Lone Star Conference play.
The Hounds recorded the most hits in conference play to date in game number one to take home the victory 11-7 and then scored four runs in the top half of the sixth inning to win game number two on the day by a 4-2 final. Junior Elysa Rodriguez led the way offensively for the Hounds, going 5-for-8 between the two games, while senior Kimberly Herron threw a gem in the circle in game number two, surrendering just one earned run through seven innings of work.
Rodriguez record four of her five RBI’s on the day in game number one, serving as one of four Greyhounds to record three or more hits in the contest in a game in which the Hound offense totaled 16 hits. The offensive production started early for Eastern in the top half of the second inning thanks to a two-out single down the right field line by senior Hanna Gary that scored Brockman from third.
After the Pioneers took the lead thanks to a two-out single that scored two runners in the bottom half of the inning, sophomore Kayla Marshall got a big top half of the third started for the Hounds in style, leading off with a double to right field. Freshman Iliana Mendoza followed that hit by Marshall up with a base hit of her own, advancing Marshall all the way to third base.
Senior Emma Gary pieced the third straight hit for the Greyhounds in the next at bat, scoring Marshall and knotting the game up at 2-2. Junior Samantha Brockman and Rodriguez continued the Hound rally with no outs with two more base hits, scoring Mendoza from third on the Rodriguez single with the bases loaded.
Sophomore Jennifer McElroy tacked on one more run to draw the score to 4-2 in the next at bat with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Gary before Texas Woman’s was finally able to record the second and third out in the next two batters. That momentum continued in the next Eastern trip to the plate, with another four runs in the top half of the fourth to break the game open at 8-2.
Rodriguez followed up RBI’s from Mendoza and Brockman with her third homerun of the season to send Brockman home and increase the Hound advantage. That lead would continue to increase in the top half of the fifth with two more runs by the Greyhounds, pushing the score to 10-2.
Texas Woman’s gave themselves hope by knocking across four runs in the bottom half of the fifth, but could only push across one more runner on Hounds starting pitcher Hanna Gary the rest of the way in. Rodriguez tacked on another run in the top of the seventh with an RBI single to left field that scored Emma Gary to bring the contest to an 11-7 final.
Emma Gary finished game one 3-for-4 with two RBI’s while Brockman and Mendoza each recorded three hits and scored two runs apiece.
Herron stepped into the circle for game number two and after allowing a run in each of the first two trips to the plate for Texas Woman’s, proved to be dominant in the remaining five frames. The Shawnee, Okla. native conceded a single and a double to start off the bottom of the third inning, and then worked her way out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth with just one out to keep the Pioneers from adding any additional runs.
She finally got the run support needed in the top of the sixth after Marshall once again proved to be a critical component to a big inning for the Hounds with a lead-off walk. That walk was followed up by consecutive singles from Mendoza, Brockman, and Rodriguez as well as a hit by pitch by Emma Gary to tie the game up at 2-2. Herron then showed her effectiveness with a bat in her hands, knocking a base hit to right field that scored junior Adriana Carabajal to put the Hounds ahead 3-2. Senior Karina Moreno tacked on the final run of the big inning for the Hounds with a single up the middle that sent home Brockman.
Herron proceeded to retire all three batters that stepped to the plate in the sixth inning and then worked around a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh to complete the game with the win for Eastern New Mexico. The senior finished the game with two strikeouts and just one walk to move her season record to 3-3.
McElroy was the lone Hound to record double-digit hits in game number two, going 2-for-3 for the game.
Eastern New Mexico defeated Texas Woman’s in consecutive outings for the first time since the 2008-09 season and will look to complete the series sweep tomorrow afternoon at noon.
