SILVER CITY, N.M. – With just four weekends remaining in the regular season, each series is important for the Western New Mexico University softball team. They will begin the final month of the RMAC slate this weekend against Colorado State University-Pueblo.
WNMU (17-22, 13-11 RMAC) currently sits in seventh in the RMAC standings, but are within range of several teams ahead of them. They are just a few games back of Chadron State (12-8) in third, UC-Colorado Springs (13-10) in fourth, Regis (11-9) in fifth and Colorado Mines (12-10) in sixth. The top eight teams make the postseason tournament that takes place at the top seed, which is currently Colorado Mesa (21-1).
Sophomore
Mariangela Garcia (Tucson, AZ/Desert View) remains the leader on the team with a .383 batting average. She also leads in doubles (13), home runs (4) and RBI (28), while adding a triple and 18 runs scores. She ranks 77
th nationally and eighth in the RMAC in terms of doubles per game (.33). Freshman
Clarissa Moreno (Tucson, AZ/Desert View) continues to have a strong first season holding a .366 average with four doubles, a home run and 10 RBI. Senior
Alicia Enriquez (Gilbert, AZ/Mesquite) adds a .347 average with five doubles, a home run, a triple and 15 RBI. Junior
Linzy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) is right at .300 with four doubles, two home runs and 16 RBI. She leads the team in runs scored with 23. WNMU as a team holds a .294 batting average to a .321 clip for opponents.
In the circle, redshirt junior
Domi Shone (Gold Canyon, AZ/Mesquite) has logged 132 innings in 29 appearances, starting 19. She is 10-10 on the season with a 3.66 ERA, 12 complete games and one shutout. Shone's 72 strikeouts is good for 98
th nationally and fifth in the RMAC. Freshman
Tiana Salazar (Peoria, AZ/Peoria) has tossed 61.2 innings with a 6-4 record and 4.09 ERA in 18 appearances, starting 10 with two complete games. Senior
MaryJo Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) rounds out the three pitchers for WNMU piling up 59.1 innings in 18 appearances, starting eight. She has a 1-8 record with a 6.02 ERA and two complete games. WNMU as a team holds a 4.32 ERA, while opponents counter with a 3.02 ERA.
Junior
Lacy Granger (Carlsbad, NM/Carlsbad) and senior
Krystal Castillo (Silver City, NM/Silver City) show up on the toughest to strikeout list with Granger 59
th nationally and fifth in the RMAC at 31.3, while Castillo is 145
th nationally and ninth in the RMAC at 20.2.
For CSU-Pueblo (6-27, 5-17 RMAC) it has been a long season for them so far. They come in last in the RMAC standings and riding a seven-game losing streak. They have struggled on the road with a 1-12 mark in neutral contests and 2-6 mark in true road contests. They split with both Colorado Christian and UC-Colorado Springs, while their other conference win came against Chadron State.
Moriah Turney leads the offense at a .360 clip, while collecting a pair of home runs and 14 RBI. Madison Wolfe adds a .345 batting average and leads the team in the power numbers driving in 25 and has six home runs. They hold a .251 batting average as a team, while opponents are hitting a healthy .345.
In the circle, Hope Davalos, who earlier this season tossed a no-hitter against UC-Colorado Springs, leads the team in wins going 6-13 in 109 innings of work. She has appeared in 23 games, starting 18 with 10 complete games and has a 7.51 ERA. Wolfe is next on the list with 42 innings, starting nine games with a 0-8 record and 7.71 ERA. As a team the ThunderWolves have a 7.92 ERA, while opponents counter with a 3.86 ERA.
Last year, the two teams only met twice during the regular season in a pod, before playing in the RMAC Tournament. The ThunderWolves took both regular season meetings, before WNMU claimed the 5-4 win in 10 innings in the RMAC Tournament.
The teams will play a pair of doubleheaders starting at noon on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all four games.
