Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LUBBOCK, Tex. – A solid pitching performance from sophomore Domi Shone (Gold Canyon, AZ/Mesquite) and timely offense powered the Western New Mexico University softball team to a 4-2 win over Division I Abilene Christian University. In the second game of the day against Lubbock Christian University, the Lady Chaps came away with a 13-3 win in five innings Tuesday.


The Lady Mustangs (2-9) offense did their damage in the first two innings and then let Shone pitch WNMU to the victory. In the opening frame, junior Stephanie Higgins (Escondido, CA/Mission Hills High School) started the game with a single down the left field line. Senior Mariah McDonald (Silver City/Silver City High School) reached on an error, which allowed Higgins to score all the way from first on the throwing error. Senior Ricki Gentry (Lakeside, CA/Christian High School) drove home McDonald with a single through the right side to make it a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, senior Tessa Fanning (Cottonwood, AZ/Mingus Union) had a single to put runners at the corners, but a strikeout ended the inning.


ACU (2-4) added a run in the home half of the inning to trim the Lady Mustang lead to one. WNMU went back on the offensive in the second with sophomore Krystal Castillo (Silver City, NM/Silver City) starting the inning with a one out single. After a groundout moved her to second, another error on the third baseman allowed McDonald to reach and Castillo to score. Senior Kale Gahn (Phoenix, AZ/Pinnacle High School) cashed in with a double to right-center to plate McDonald for a 4-1 lead.


After the Wildcats scored a run in the bottom of the second, that would end up completing the scoring at 4-2. Shone worked out of a big jam in the fifth as ACU started with a pair of doubles to put runners at second and third. A walk later loaded the bases with no outs. A fielder's choice out at home marked the first out, then after a foul out, a strikeout ended the threat keeping WNMU ahead by two.


Gentry had a solid game going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Gahn and Fanning also had two hits apiece as WNMU had nine hits as a team. Shone (2-4) recorded her second win of the season after tossing all seven innings, giving up just two earned runs on nine hits and had eight strikeouts.


In the second game, LCU (9-3) scored five runs in the first and never looked back. Higgins opened the second game just like the first with a single, but she would later be erased on a double-play. In the home half, the Lady Chaps plated five runs on four hits for the early 5-0 lead.


The Lady Mustangs broke through with a run in the second. With one out, sophomore Mary Othon (Tucson, AZ/Desert View High School) doubled to right field. Following a strikeout, junior Alexis Lawton (Gilbert, AZ/Mesquite) doubled to right-center on a 1-2 pitch to score Othon leaving LCU ahead, 5-1.


The Lady Chaps scored another run in the second and WNMU was able to answer in the third. Higgins singled to center on the first pitch and after a McDonald single and fielder's choice had runners at the corners, Gentry singled up the middle on a 0-2 pitch to score Higgins cutting the deficit back to four, 6-2.


LCU then broke the game open in the fourth scoring seven runs on eight hits to take a 13-2 lead to the fifth. That is where the Lady Mustangs scored their final run of the game. Redshirt freshman Davi Martin (Silver City, NM/Silver City) began the inning with a single. After a pair of outs was recorded, Gahn singled down the right field line which brought Martin home to provide the final score of 13-3.


WNMU again pounded out nine hits led by two each from Higgins and Gentry. Gentry also led the way in RBI with two batting cleanup.


The Lady Mustangs will play a doubleheader against Lubbock Christian Wednesday beginning at 1 p.m. (CST).