Saturday, May 01, 2010
PORTALES, N.M. - Senior pitcher Kimberly Crouse (Round Rock, Texas/Hill College/Round Rock HS) scattered
11 hits over 11 innings and fell just three strikeouts shy of Jennifer Harrer's
ENMU single game record of 19 strikeouts, but the Eastern New Mexico University
softball team (15-37; LSC South 2-14) dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 decision to
Texas Woman's (38-17; LSC South 11-6) in the opening game of Saturday's Lone
Star Conference South Division doubleheader at Zia Field. The Pioneers also
edged Eastern in the second game, by a 7-6 score.
Game 1
TWU centerfielder Lizzy Kelly singled to lead off the opener
and stole second and third base, before scoring on Billie Callahan's one-out
sacrifice fly. The Pioneers added a second run in the fourth inning on Jordan
Readicker's two-out RBI double. Alex Mayo Otis
(Sr., RF, Phoenix, Ariz./St. Mary's HS) led off the Zia sixth with an infield single and
scored on an Amanda Lale (Fr., 1B, Mesquite,
Texas/Horn HS) two-out single after a TWU error to pull ENMU to within 2-1.
In her first at bat in almost
a full month Kristin Cruickshank (Sr., Glendale, Ariz./Deer
Valley HS) saw two pitches from Pioneer starting pitcher Carly Case, before
leading off the seventh with a game-tying, pinch hit homer over the left field
fence. In the top of the 10thth
inning, Melissa Williams (So., SS, Sierra Vista, Ariz./Buena
HS) cracked a two-out homer, plating Michelle Anderson (Sr., C, Sierra Vista,
Ariz./Buena HS), who was
placed on second as part of the international tie breaker rule, which started
in the tenth inning. In the 11th inning, Texas Woman's capitalized
on an ENMU error, taking the lead for good on Readicker's single up the middle.
The Zias loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to push
the tying run across the plate. inning, Texas Woman's took a 4-2 lead
and had runners on second and third base before the Zias were able to record an
out, but Crouse fanned the next two batters and induced a fly ball to escape
the jam. Two outs into the 11
Crouse went the distance for
the Zias, striking out a career-high 16 batters, while walking just three. Lale
batted two-for-three, notching her sixth multiple-hit game of the season and
extending her hitting streak to four games. Anderson registered a hit for her sixth
straight game.
Game 2
The nightcap saw the Pioneers charge to a 3-0 lead over the
first two innings, but plated two runs after Anderson's bunt single was errantly thrown
into right field by TWU starter Abby Burns, allowing Mayo Otis and Crouse to
score from first and second base. Texas Woman's added two runs in both the
fifth and seventh innings, to seize a 7-2, lead, but Eastern put together a
rally in the bottom of the seventh. Mayo Otis drove in the first run of the
inning with a single to left field and Crouse followed with a two-out single up
the middle. With two outs, Lale looked to have plated Crouse with the game
tying run with a two-out single through the left side, but after a conference,
it was ruled that Crouse interfered with Pioneer shortstop Jessica LaMonica's
ability to field the batted ball, effectively ending the game.
Mayo Otis hit two-for-three to record the 90th
multiple-hit game of her career, while Anderson
also batted two-for-three for her 37th multiple-hit game.
The Eastern
New Mexico University
softball team will close their season on Sunday, with the series finale against
Texas Woman's. The first pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. MST.