Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PORTALES - Eastern New Mexico University's softball team opened its home and Lone Star Conference schedules over the weekend by welcoming a pair of nationally ranked-teams to Greyhound Softball Field, including No. 1 Texas-Tyler on Sunday.
Suffice it to say, the Greyhounds gave a reasonably good account of themselves.
They earned a split with No. 23 Texas A&M-Commerce on Friday, winning 8-5 and losing 9-1, before dropping 6-3 and 11-0 decisions to Tyler.
ENMU (8-12 overall) fell behind 4-0 in the fourth in Sunday's opener against the Patriots (17-1, 3-1 LSC), but cut the margin in half on a two-run, fifth-inning single by junior Maite Bustillos.
Tyler, which suffered its first loss in the opener of a Friday twin bill at No. 4 West Texas A&M, added insurance with a pair of runs in the seventh. Sophomore right-hander Payton Foster (9-1) went the first 4 2/3 innings for the victory before sophomore Sarah Gartman finished for her first save.
ENMU sophomore Brook Leger (7-5) took the loss, allowing three unearned runs over three innings. Center fielder Azalea Martinez led the Hounds' eight-hit attack, going 3-for-4.
ENMU had its chances, leaving nine runners stranded.
In the second game, the Patriots erupted for five runs in the third and added six in the fifth, winning in five on the eight-run rule. Tyler whacked three home runs in the contest, including a three-run blast by third baseman Ashley Perez and a solo shot by pitcher Tatum Goff in the third.
ENMU managed only four singles against Goff (1-0), with Bustillos going 2-for-2 with a walk. Goff, a sophomore lefty, struck out six while issuing just the one pass.
ENMU 8-1, Texas A&M-Commerce 5-9 (Friday) - Freshman Lisette Urquidez capped a five-run second with a three-run homer for a 7-3 lead in the opener.
Leger made it stand up with a five-inning relief effort in the circle, surrendering only a two-run homer by the Lions' Uxua Modrego in the sixth. She allowed three hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Martinez, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, got the Hounds on the board in the first inning with a two-run homer, her first of the year, for a 2-1 lead.
In the nightcap, sophomore Alina Jasso belted a solo home run and sophomore Ayanna Williams added a three-run shot in the second, staking Commerce (17-5, 3-1 after a 3-2, 4-2 sweep at WT on Sunday) to a 5-0 lead. Freshman Alyssa LeBlanc went six innings for the win, allowing four hits and striking out 11.
Urquidez belted her second homer of the day and fifth of the campaign in the fourth for ENMU's only run off LeBlanc (4-2).
This weekend, the Hounds face LSC twin bills at Angelo State on Friday and at Lubbock Christian on Sunday.