Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Freedom New Mexico
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State erased a three-run deficit with five runs in the fifth, capped by Julie Norris’ three-run homer, and the TexAnns held on for a 5-4 win Saturday over Eastern New Mexico University and a sweep of their three-game Lone Star Conference South Divisin softball series.
It was the sixth one-run loss for the Zias (9-29, 0-8 South) in their last 11 outings. They are 2-9 in that time.
The Zias scored twice in the second on a run scoring single by Amanda Lale and an RBI double by Melissa Williams. They missed an opportunity for more when Alex Mayo Otis, who came in batting .425 for the season but went 0-for-4, lined into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
The Zias exended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth when Kimberly Crouse singled, stole second, went to third on catcher April Gonzalez and scored on Michelle Anderson’s double to left-center.
Tarleton (18-17, 3-3) loaded the bases on three consecutive singles to start the bottom half against Lale, who took over in the circle when starter Kristen Cruickshank left with an unspecified injury.
After a strikeout, Victoria Kelly got two runs home with a single down th right field line before Norris followed with a shot to left field to put the TexAnns ahead 5-3.
ENMU pulled to 5-4 in the sixth on Crouse’s two-out RBI single to right, but pitcher Bandi Simmons (1-0), making her first start of the year, got Anderson on a groundout to first.
ENMU outhit the TexAnns 9-8, with Crouse, Lale and Williams all going 2-for-4. Tarleton also commited five errors in the contest, but the Zias left nine runners on base to three for Tarleton.
Norris went 2-for-2 with a walk and was the only Tarleton player with more than one hit.
ENMU returns to action on Tuesday in a noon (MDT) twin bill at Texas-Permian Basin.
