Zias drop pair at St. Mary's Classic

Freedom New Mexico

SAN ANTONIO — St. Mary’s Chelsea Wenske belted a one-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh Thursday to lift the Rattlers past Eastern New Mexico University 6-4 in the season-opening St. Mary’s Classic.

Earlier in the day, the Zias lost to Rollins College 7-1.

ENMU faces Incarnate Word and Florida-based St. Leo’s today before closing out the event on Saturday morning against St. Edward’s.

St. Mary’s led 3-2 from the second until the top of the seventh when ENMU took the lead. Alex Mayo Otis reached on an error leading off, took second on a sacrifice and moved to third on single by Rebecca Quinones.

Quinones was then called out for leaving the base early, but pitcher Kimberly Crouse tied it with an RBI double to right center, then stole third and scored the go-ahead run in Jessica Pacheco’s single to center.

Crouse was working on a four-hitter, but walked Sade Moore leading off the bottom of the seventh. Moore took second on a sacrifice and reached third when she beat the throw on Michelle Soto’s infield grounder before Wenske launched the game-winner over the right-center field fence.

ENMU outhit the Rattlers 11-5, with Laura Thompson, Kristen Cruickshank, Jessica Pacheco and Samantha Davis all collecting a pair of hits.

In the first game, Thompson bunted her way on to start the game and eventually scored on a passed ball, but Rollins’ Nicole Anderson allowed only two more hits in picking up the win.

The Winter Park, Fla.-based Tars reached Cruickshank for three runs in the third, getting RBI doubles from Monica Meadows and Christine Roser. The Tars added four more in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run single by Rachael Foster.

Rollins 7, ENMU 1

ENMU