In Thursday Heartland Conference action the Western New Mexico softball team (17-14, 10-2) completed their sweep of the visiting Montana State University--Billings Yellowjackets (7-21, 0-4), winning game one, 9-1 in five innings, and game two, 3-2. The series was the beginning of a long road trip for the Yellowjackets as they will now head to San Antonio to continue the kickoff to their HLC season.

The fourth inning of game one is definitely a soft subject as the Yellowjackets committed 2 crucial errors allowing 5 unearned runs to cross the plate for Western. WNMU jumped ahead early scoring 1 in the first, 5 in the fourth and 3 in the fifth to win 9-1. Errors plagued MSUB, they finished with 4 errors, 4 hits and 1 run. Western posted 6 hits, 9 runs.

Hitting for the Lady 'Stangs were Meredith Drahota (1-3, 3 RBIs, 1 run), Shaunna York (1-2, 1 RBI, 1 run), Cassidi Carningi (1-3, 1 run), Tiffany DeVaurs (1-3, 1 run), Erica Beltran (1-3, 1 run), and Emily Robinson (1-3, 1 run). York and Drahota sent shots over the fence to add to their homerun totals boosting the Mustangs' offense.

MSUB's Jenna Hacke (1-2, 1 RBI, 1 run) went deep in the fourth scoring the Yellowjackets lone run. Also recording hits for Billings were Christy Wankel (2-2), and Aysha Maddox (1-2).

Game 2 was a different story as the two teams battled it out. The Yellowjackets struck first sending 2 runs across the plate in the second to take an early 2-0 lead. The Lady 'Stangs poised a comeback as they rallied in the third to tie the game at 2. In the bottom of the sixth senior Tiffany DeVaurs crushed a homerun giving Western the 3-2 advantage that would hold as Priscilla Garcia (7-9) and the WNMU defense held Billings in the seventh.

Offensively for the Western were Drahota (1-3, 1 run), York (3-3, 1 run), DeVaurs (2-3, 3 RBIs, 1 run), and Robinson (1-3). Sticking it to the Lady 'Stangs for MSUB were Ashley Palmer (2-3, 1 run), Jenna McCartney (2-4), Rachel Quarnburg (2-4), Haacke (1-3), and Anna Henderson (1-3).

Western will be back in action to face HLC leader St. Edward's University in Austin, TX, on April 7 and 8, game time at 1:00 pm.