TUCSON, AZ – Looking for a better start to this weekend's tournament, the Western New Mexico softball team faced off with Vulcans of UH – Hilo, and the Colorado Mesa Mavericks on opening day of the Cactus Classic. Against a historically strong UHH team, the Mustangs were resilient at the plate, putting together five runs on six hits to shut down the Vulcans 5-2 in game one.
In game 2, WNMU struggled to get a hit off the unusual wind up from Colorado Mesa's pitcher, falling 10-1.
GAME 1 – UH – Hilo
With two outs, and two runners on second and third, a single to left field from
Aliehs Ortiz (Rio Rancho, NM/V. Sue Cleveland HS) brought one run in.
Samantha Corral (El Paso, TX/Socorro HS ) then followed up with a single of her own to tack on one more run before the final out.
An uncommon error by the Mustangs in the following inning, allowed the Vulcans to score but the defense would come up with the final out before the tying run could make its way around.
After a quick two outs, WNMU would again rally to load the bases and score another run in the top of the fifth to give themselves a little breathing room. An error by the UHH third baseman sent the WNMU runners around, scoring the final two runs in the top of the sixth.
From then on it was a defensive game. As the designated home team, UHH was determined to close the gap in the bottom of the seventh, starting with a double down the third base line. That runner would eventually score, and UHH managed to put runners in scoring position. After facing just two batters in the seventh,
Kristin Cocke (Safford, AZ/Safford HS) was subbed out and
Julia Vega (Tucson, AZ/University HS) took over pitching duties to help close it out. Vega forced a pop up and a fly ball to right field, successfully closing the win for WNMU, 5-2
GAME 2 – Colorado Mesa
With a quick turnaround, the Mustangs switched fields to take on the Mavericks of Colorado Mesa. Known for their heavy hitters, AnnMarie Torres stepped up to the plate and crushed a triple to right center to get a quick score in the opening frame.
Another triple by CMU tacked on two more in the third, but WNMU would respond in their half of the inning on a single from Alicia Habiztreuther to score
Julia Vega (Tucson, AZ/University HS).
Trailing 6-1 as the teams entered the final inning, WNMU was on the verge of escaping the inning without any runs from CMU. A series of hits however gave way to 4 more runs by the Mavericks bringing their total to 10 before WNMU could catch the final out.
Jalyn McClain (El Centro, CA/Central Union HS ) pitched a complete game for the Mustangs, falling to 3-2 on the young season.
UP NEXT:
WNMU will enjoy the morning off, before heading to the field for a couple of late afternoon match ups. First up will be the Lions of Lindenwood at 3 p.m., followed by the Clan of Simon Fraser at 5:30 p.m. under the Friday night lights.
