Hounds' bid comes up short

PORTALES - After a rough start to Lone Star Conference play, Eastern New Mexico University's softball team put itself in position to earn a spot in the 10-team LSC tournament with a late-season run.

Almost everything that needed to happen did in Saturday's final day of the regular campaign. But the Greyhounds, figuring they needed a sweep of rival West Texas A&M at Greyhound Softball Field, instead settled for a split after dropping the nightcap 7-1.

ENMU (18-30, 9-21 LSC) took the opener 3-2 behind the stout pitching of sophomore right-hander Brook Leger. The second-game loss left the Hounds in a three-way tie for 10th in the 16-team circuit, and St. Edward's won a tiebreaker by virtue of splitting with ninth-place Cameron while the Hounds and Texas A&M International were both swept by the Aggies.

The LSC's preseason poll had ENMU pegged for 15th place. In a league which had six teams ranked in NCAA Division II's top 20 going into the weekend, the Hounds played a rugged early conference slate, but won eight of their final 12 to give themselves a chance to make the tourney.

"In the LSC, it doesn't make any difference if you're picked first or 15th," first-year Hounds coach Amanda Fefel said. "To be in contention for the playoffs is a testament to the girls and where we want to see this program go."

Leger (11-14) was on top of her game most of the way in the opener, tossing a five-hitter with just two walks and four strikeouts. She also delivered an early run with a fielder's choice grounder.

WT (28-15, 17-13) jumped on the Hounds in Game 2, building a 7-0 lead in the first two innings with the help of shortstop Madison Johnson's two-run double in the first and two-run homer in the second. ENMU essentially went through its entire pitching staff, with freshman Jennifer Gress and Leger eventually settling it down.

"Obviously, we needed to win those two games," said Leger, who came back to toss three shutout innings in the nightcap. "The defense worked hard today. They had my back in both games."

Recently, Fefel sat Leger out for a few games to give her a break and try to tweak her mechanics. For one, she has gone to more off-speed stuff.

"I made a few adjustments I needed to make," Leger said. "We mixed things up today, and it seemed to be effective."

WT right-hander Heidi Vortherms (12-7) gave up single runs in each of the first three frames as the Hounds built a 3-1 lead. Leger opened the seventh by walking No. 9 hitter Julie Guzman, but the Lady Buffs tried to get aggressive and Guzman was thrown out trying to go first to third for a double play on left fielder Brittni Rufus' sacrifice bunt.

"Eastern came out and played really well in the first game," WT coach Michael Mook said. "(Leger) threw well, and they took some hits away from us.

"The second game we got some runs early, which was nice, and we made some good adjustments with the variety of pitchers they threw. I think their coaches have really done a good job with them."

Right-hander Emilee Wilson (8-3) took advantage of the early run support, tossing five innings of two-hit shutout ball before giving way to the bullpen. The Hounds broke through with two out in the sixth on an infield single by senior Sierra Wooley, a hit batsman and sophomore shortstop Jokaira Paredes' RBI single to left.