COLORADO SPRINGS – The Western New Mexico University Mustangs had a solo home run and two RBI singles to lift the Mustangs to a 5-2 victory and salvage a split of Saturday's doubleheader against the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs at Mountain Lion Field.

The Mustangs (28-16, 21-10 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) lost game 2, 9-6.

The split maintained the status quo in the RMAC standings pending the results of the CSU-Puebl/Regis doubleheader. Western New Mexico held on to second place with a .677 conference winning percentage. UCCS is third at .667.

After a strong game offensively in game one, the Mustangs opened game two going down a quick 4-0 in the first.

Western New Mexico tied the game in the top of the second with the help of a run-scoring wild pitch and a two-run error.

UCCS responded in the bottom half of the inning, taking a 7-4 lead.

After Courtney Reyes' (Alamogordo, NM) two-run homer in the fourth cut the lead to one, UCCS answered with an RBI single off of WNMU starter Erica Beltran (9-3, Mesilla Park, NM) in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-6. The Mustangs threatened again in the fifth and the seventh, but UCCS pitcher Stacy Ortiz (16-7) worked out of bases-loaded, one out jams each time.

Cleland's solo homerun provided the final margin in game two.

The Mustangs' 10 hits were not enough in the nightcap compared to 12 hits in game one. In the first game, UCCS managed just five and a solo homerun, scoring its other run on a sacrifice fly.

Western New Mexico got a solo homer by Meredith Drahota (Phoenix, AZ) in the third, followed by an RBI single and a run on a delayed double steal in the fourth. The Mustangs added two more runs in the seventh.

The Mustangs' Brianne Grommon (15-8, Mesa, AZ) threw a five-hit, nine-strikeout gem.

The same two teams will play again Sunday starting at 11 a.m.