LUBBOCK, Texas – Playing in their fifth and final game of the Lubbock Christian University Softball Classic, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs softball team narrowly missed out on their first win of the season but fell to Eastern New Mexico University in a neutral site game Sunday afternoon, 5-4.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 4, Eastern New Mexico 5
- Records: UCCS (0-5, 0-0 RMAC) | ENMU (3-2, 0-0 LSC)
- Facility | Location: Friendship High School Softball Field | Lubbock, Texas
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions lead the all-time series against ENMU, 6-5, since the series began in 1998.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Searching for their first win, the Mountain Lions struck first on the scoreboard with an early 1-0 lead. Batting in the top half of the first inning, Mia Perez watched the first four pitches go by to reach base on a walk. Morgan Hernandez-Belew moved Perez to second base on a single to left field, before cleanup batter Courtnie Heller laced a single up the middle to score Perez. After ENMU's leadoff batter walked in the bottom of the inning, the Mountain Lions retired the next three batters to hold their lead at 1-0.
- The Greyhounds evened the score in the second inning. For the second straight inning, the leadoff batter drew a walk and knotted the game when Katelyn Cifuentes doubled to bring Taighen Whitzel home.
- UCCS tallied two hits in the opening inning but were held to three-up, three-down in the following two innings. Lexi Wagner drew a walk in the fourth inning to reach base as the Greyhounds held her at first to end the inning.
- ENMU took a two-run in the lead in the bottom half of the fourth inning, plating two runs on two hits. With two runners in scoring position, Paredes doubled to left field bringing in Aylene Lucero, followed by a RBI single, extending ENMU's lead to 3-1.
- Cassidy Hubner led off the fifth inning with a left field single but was thrown out at second trying to extend the play. The next two Mountain Lions were limited to a groundout at third and a strikeout. The Mountain Lions defense responded in the bottom of the fifth as Braelyn Crenshaw fanned the leadoff batter before Solana Martinez fielded the next two batters to throw them out at first.
- UCCS' bats came alive in the sixth inning. Trailing 3-1 with two outs, Heller was hit by a pitch to reach first base and was relieved of base running duties by Brianna Jennings. Lexi Wagner immediately brought home Jennings when Wagner hit her team leading fourth home run of the season over the centerfield fence to knot the game at 3-3. The Greyhounds broke the tie after hitting their third double of the game that scored Kianna Galindo.
- Heading into the final inning of the game and down, 4-3, with two outs, Perez was dealt a strike before fouling off the next two pitches, Down in the count, 0-2, Perez was patient at the plate and watched the next four pitches go by as she drew her second walk of the game. Just like the first inning, Hernandez-Belew singled to move Perez to second. The third straight batter to plate connected with the ball as Paige White hit a dart to left center to score Perez and tie the game at 4-4.
- ENMU led off the seventh by drawing a walk before Lexi Rayburn entered the circle in relief of Crenshaw. The first two batters Crenshaw faced dialed up singles to load the bases. The winning run for the Greyhounds was brought in by Vasquez who drew a walk that scored Groves.
GAME STATISTICS
- Perez drew two walks and scored both times.
- Heller finished with a 1-for-3 plate appearance and an RBI.
- White posted her fifth extra-base hit of the season with a double in the seventh inning.
- Crenshaw recorded her second decision of the season, allowing five earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts in six innings of work.
- ENMU's Cifuentes went 3-for-3 and added a pair of RBIs.
- Brook Leger has won all three games in the circle for ENMU. She fanned seven batters and held UCCS to two hits in 4.1 innings of work.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With the opening weekend in the books, Wagner is sixth in the RMAC in batting average, connecting on 7-of-13 at-bats (.538). She leads the league in home runs (four), RBI (nine), total bases (19) and slugging percentage (1.462%).
- Heller is second in the league in RBI, batting in eight runs through five games.
- For the first time this season, UCCS did not commit a fielding error.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will open up the home portion of their schedule Feb. 12-13 with a four game series against University of Nebraska-Kearney. The series opening pitch will go out at 12 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
