Sunday, May 02, 2010
PORTALES, N.M.
- With Jessica Childers (Sr., CF, Sierra Vista, Ariz./Coffeyville
CC) at the plate, Melissa Williams (So., SS, Sierra
Vista, Ariz./Buena HS) stole second, allowing Kristin Cruickshank (Sr., 1B/DP, Glendale,
Ariz./Deer Valley HS) to score on catcher
Lyndsey Lipscomb's errant throw, lifting the Eastern New Mexico University
softball team (16-38; LSC South 3-14) to a 5-4 win in their season finale
against Texas Woman's University (38-18; LSC South 11-7), Sunday afternoon at
Zia Field. With the win, the Zias have closed five consecutive season with a
victory, dating back to the 2006 season.
Pioneer second baseman Billie
Callahan doubled two outs into the top of the first and scored on Jordan
Readicker's single to left, marking the third time in three games that TWU took
the lead in the top of the first. Carly Case retired the first six Zias she
faced, but Williams led off the ENMU third inning with her seventh home run of
the season to tie the game.
Lipscombs' RBI ground out for
the first our of the Pioneer fourth allowed Jessica LaMonica to score, putting
Texas Woman's ahead, 3-2, and Kayla Williams followed with a RBI single to give
the Pioneers a two-run lead. Michelle Anderson (Sr., C, Sierra Vista,
Ariz./Buena HS) hit a
bouncing infield single to second base, one out into the bottom of the fourth
and took second base on an errant throw. With two outs, the Pioneers elected to
intentionally walk Cruickshank, who had hit a game tying homerun in the bottom
of the seventh, in the series opener. The decision backfired as Amanda Lale (Fr., DP/1B, Mesquite, Texas/Horn
HS) drove the third pitch she saw over the left-field wall for her fourth
homer of the season, staking the Zias to a 4-3 lead.
The Pioneers capitalized on a
throwing error to tie the game at 4-all in the top of the fifth. In her final
at bat in a Zia uniform, Cruickshank cracked a single down the left field line,
one-out into the bottom of the sixth inning. Cruickshank took second on a
single from Lale, and a fielder's choice ground ball off the bat of Williams
gave the Zias first and third base with two outs. With Williams stealing
second, Lipscomb's throw bounced eluded LaMonica's glove, allowing Cruickshank
to scamper home to give Eastern a 5-4 lead. Kimberly Crouse (Sr., P, Round Rock, Texas/Hill College/Round Rock HS) faced
the top of the Pioneers order in the top of the seventh, but ended the game to
record the 19th win of her career with a strike out and two fly
balls.
Crouse allowed just three
earned runs and scattered 11 hits over seven innings for the 28th
complete game of her career. Lale batted two-for-three with a homer and three
runs batted in. Childers, Williams and Kassandra Sanchez (Jr., LF, Albuquerque,
N.M./Manzano HS) each had a base hit for Eastern. Carly Case went four
innings for TWU, allowing four runs on four hits, while Abby Burns suffered the
loss in two innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits.