The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

LUBBOCK — Eastern New Mexico University’s softball team scored a ton of runs on Sunday, and the Greyhounds needed them to get a split for the day in Lubbock Christian’s LCU Invitational.

The weekend event matched Lone Star Conference teams in a sort of preview of the upcoming league slate.

Freshman Azalia Martinez blasted three home runs and freshman Tianna Boone hit a game-clinching grand slam in ENMU’s 14-9 win over Texas-Permian Basin. The Hounds then hit two more long balls against West Texas A&M, but gave up a pair of seven-spots in a 21-7 loss in 4 1/2 innings against the Lady Buffs.

On Saturday, ENMU (6-7) built an early 5-2 lead against Tarleton State, but a four-run sixth lifted the 24th-ranked Texans to a 7-5 victory. The Hounds then dropped a 10-2, run-rule decision in five innings to the Lady Chaps.

Martinez hit a two-run homer in the second and added solo shots in the fourth and fifth against UTPB (8-10). ENMU led early 5-1, then trailed 8-5 before rallying back.

With the score 10-8, Boone crashed a two-out, pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to six runs. Feshman Tava Boone (2-3) — Tianna’s sister — picked up the win, allowing three hits and a run over the final 3 1/3 innings.

WT rocked five home runs, including a first-inning grand slam by Maddie Geidel for a 7-0 lead. Shortstop Alyx Cordell went 4-for-4 with a pair of homers, four runs scored and five RBIs for the Lady Buffs (10-7).

On Saturday, freshman catcher Makenzie Shaw helped the Hounds build their early lead against Tarleton State (13-4) with a two-run single in a three-run first and a two-run homer in the third. Texans DP Destiny Crumpley, though, hit a pair of solo home runs and then capped Tarleton’s four-run sixth with a bases-clearing double against Tava Boone (1-3), with all the runs being unearned.

Tarleton’s Julia Wernet (3-0) picked up the win with four innings of two-hit, shutout relief.

Against LCU (15-3), Shaw’s solo home run capped a two-run first, but it was all Lady Chaps after that.

LCU tied it with two runs in the bottom half, including a leadoff homer run by center fielder Savannah Wysocki, then exploded for a six-run fourth capped by designated player Alivia Villarreal’s three-run homer. The game ended on the eight-run rule when the Lady Chaps pushed over two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Freshman Jordan Wehr (5-0) tossed a four-hitter in the circle for the win, needing only 51 pitches to finish the job.

ENMU opens its LSC schedule with a 3 p.m. doubleheader against UTPB on March 5 at Greyhound Softball Field.