Zias, Mustangs pull split

Staff report

Kyra Sirag and Eastern New Mexico put their rally caps on in the fifth inning and never looked back.

The host Zias scored six times in the inning, all with two outs, and went on to a 9-1 rout of University of the Southwest to pull a split in their doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Zia Field.

link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

USW sophomore Brittany Martinez gets back safety to third base in the top of the seventh inning, while ENMU junior Elizabeth Velasquez awaits the throw from home during the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader at Zia Field. The visiting Mustangs took the opener 4-2, but the Zias won the nightcap 9-1.

The visiting Mustangs took a 4-2 win in the opener.

After the Zias (13-36) scored their first run of the inning when Aurelia Sandoval grounded into a double play, Sirag hit an RBI double to keep the rally going. The next six Zias reached base, five on hits off of Brianna Johnson, who was tagged for nine earned runs on 18 hits for just her second loss in 12 decisions.

It was part of a 3-for-4 game for Sirag, who also hit a solo homer in the third and ended the game via the eight-run mercy rule on a sixth-inning RBI single to third.

Mary Jo Granger picked up the complete game win, scattering five hits over her six innings of work.

In the first game, Cailin Garmon allowed three earned runs on 10 hits. Clara Fraher improved to 14-5 on the season for the Mustangs after allowing four hits to go with six punchouts. Fraher also went 1-for-3 from the plate with an RBI single in the third.

The Zias are back in action Friday with a doubleheader against Lone Star Conference leading West Texas A&M. The first pitch in the single game is set for 4 p.m. MDT.[gallery type="slideshow" ids="51754,51753,51752"]