The Eastern New Mexico softball fell in their Lone Star Conference opener at the hands of no. 6 Angelo State on Friday night by a final score of 11-3 at the Greyhound Softball Field.

David Stone, president of J.P. Stone Community Bank threw out the first pitch on what stood as the 2019 LSC opener for the Greyhounds (4-5, 0-1 LSC) and head coach Kiera Zeiter’s first official game in the Lone Star Conference as head coach. Eastern New Mexico hung tough with preseason favorite and number-six nationally ranked Angelo State (11-1, 0-1) through three innings, but surrendered eight runs in the final three frames to end the game in a run rule after just six innings of play.

Angelo State jumped ahead in the top of the first with back-to-back homeruns that put them quickly up 3-0. Eastern responded with a two-run homer of their own from freshman Iliana Mendoza over the right field fence that scored sophomore Parker Smith in the bottom half of the inning.

Starting pitcher Hanna Gary kept the Rambelles off the board in the next frame and worked herself out of a jam in the top of the third inning with runners on second and third by forcing a fly out to left fielder Jennifer McElroy. That stand by Gary combined with three errors by the Rambelles in the bottom half of the third inning allowed the Hounds to score the tying run thanks to back-to-back errors that allowed sophomore Kayla Marshall to come around and score after leading off the inning with a walk.

Mendoza was caught in a run down at second base during that play and tagged out before a third consecutive error by Angelo State, this time in left field, put runners on first and second with just one out. Junior Samantha Brockman singled in the ensuing at bat, loading the bases for the Hounds with just one out in the inning with the chance to get the go-ahead run across.
Angelo State went to their bullpen and got two straight strikeouts to end the threat from the Hounds. The Rambelles offense shined in the final three frames, putting up two runs in both the fourth and the fifth inning and four runs in the top half of the sixth to end the game after just six innings of play.

Eastern New Mexico had five players record hits in the game including Mendoza, whose two-run homer in the first inning served as the only two RBI’s for the Hounds in the game.
The Hounds will finish out the series with Angelo State tomorrow afternoon with a double-header scheduled for 12 p.m.