LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Mikayla Austin (Florence, AZ/Florence ) continued her solid pitching and a clutch home run from MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) in the second game helped the Western New Mexico University softball team gain a split Monday. Colorado Christian took the first game in eight innings, 1-0, before the Lady Mustangs rallied to defeat UC-Colorado Springs, 6-5, in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.
The first game was a pitcher’s duel throughout, with the two pitchers allowing just seven total hits in eight innings.
WNMU (18-21, 15-13 RMAC) threatened in the second inning as Stephanie Higgins (Escondido, CA/Mission Hills High School) was hit-by-pitch and Mary Othon (Tucson, AZ/Desert View High School) walked. A strikeout and fly out followed to end the inning. In the fifth, Samantha Munoz (Peoria, AZ/Centennial) and Kymbra Espinosa (Capitan, NM/Capitan ) singled, but again Tana Feiner was able to keep the Lady Mustangs off the scoreboard with a fielder’s choice groundout and pop out.
In both the sixth and seventh innings, WNMU was able to get a runner to second, but no further. CCU (17-21, 11-11 RMAC) was finally able to break through with a run in the home half of the eighth inning as the Cougars came through with a game-winning double off a leadoff walk for the 1-0 victory.
Austin went seven innings, allowing just three hits and had seven strikeouts to take the hard-luck loss (8-9). Feiner went eight innings to tally the win for the Cougars, giving up just four hits.
Alicia Enriquez (Gilbert, AZ/Mesquite), Othon, Munoz and Espinosa accounted for the hits for WNMU. Letty Valenzuela had a two-hit game to lead CCU, as she drove in the winning run.
In the second game, the teams went back-and-forth against UCCS (14-17, 12-14 RMAC) with neither team scoring until the third. MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) opened the inning with a single and she would later come through with the clutch hit of the game. Following her, Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) singled to left to score Davi Martin (Silver City, NM/Silver City) who reached on a fielder’s choice and later moved to second on a groundout for the 1-0 lead.
The Lady Mountain Lions answered with three in the top of the fourth on a home run to open a 3-1 advantage. In the home half, Higgins singled and quickly came home on a double by Thailyza Ramirez (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) leaving WNMU down just one, 3-2.
UCCS would add a run in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth. That’s when the Lady Mustang offense came to life to take the victory. Higgins began the frame with a single and moved to second on the throw. After a groundout, Othon was walked and then an error on a ball put in play by Munoz allowed Higgins to score. With the deficit just at two, MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) re-entered to hit for Austin and hit the first pitch to left field for a three-run homer to give WNMU a 6-5 lead.
Austin would hold the lead in the circle allowing just a walk before getting the final three outs and the win for WNMU.
WNMU outhit UCCS, 8-5, with Higgins going 3-for-3. Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) and MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) added two hit games apiece, while MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) recorded three RBI. In the circle, MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) started and went 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs. Austin tossed the final 1.2 innings to pick up her ninth win (9-9) of the season, allowing no hits or runs and had two strikeouts.
With the win today, WNMU remains in sixth in the RMAC standings, just percentage points behind CSU-Pueblo in fourth and Adams State in fifth. They will head right back to the Denver area this weekend as they will play at Colorado School of Mines beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
