DENVER – The Cowgirls earn a split on the final day of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference pod in Denver on Sunday (March 29) as the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls (12-18, 7-12 RMAC) defeated Black Hills State (4-21, 3-17 RMAC) 12-10 in eight innings in game one before falling 11-2 (five innings) in game two against host Metropolitan State University of Denver (23-9, 14-4 RMAC).
'We had a good series and picked up good wins for us in conference," Head Coach
Karin Gadberry said. "Great comeback in extra against a good Black Hills team."
The game against the Yellow Jackets saw wild swings, put the Cowgirls made the last push. Down 10-7 in the seventh, junior
Jacquelyn Solis led off the inning with a home run to left and junior
Dekota Monarrez hit a two-run shot down the left field line to tie the game. In the eighth, it was three walks which did in Black Hills State. Junior
Ashton Borunda reached on a walk, was sacrificed to second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Sophomore
Gabby Hansell walked and Solis hit a sacrifice fly to left. An RBI double by Monarrez added an insurance run and the Yellow Jackets were set down in order in the bottom of the frame as the Cowgirls claimed the 12-10 win.
Hansell went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Solis had two hits in as many at-bats with three RBI's and three runs scored. Senior
Jessica Brink took the win in relief, allowing three hits and four runs (two earned) in 2.2 innings of work.
Brink (6-8) took the loss in game two.
Down 3-0, the Cowgirls took the lead with four runs in the fourth. Sophomore
Katelyn Bates and Hansell hit back-to-back doubles. A Solis single cut the deficit to one before a double by
Alysia Cavone tied the game. A Monarrez single put the Cowgirls in the lead.
Highlands added three more in the fifth. Borunda walked and was sacrificed to second. Hansell singled and Solis walked to load the bases. Cavone added a two-RBI single and opened up a 7-3 Cowgirl lead. The Yellow Jackets got one back in the bottom of the fifth.
Black Hills State exploded for six runs in the sixth to turn a 7-4 deficit into a 10-7 lead. With one out, Katherine Drake singled and scored on Nia Shumpert's triple. Clair Ferguson scored Shumpert on an error and an Alexis Shaffer double tied the ballgame. Rebecca Green added a two-RBI double and Stefanie Witman singled to open up the Black Hills State three-run lead.
Shaffer went 3-for-5 with two RBI's and a run scored. Shumpert went 3-for-5 with four RBI's and two runs scored. Witman took the loss in relief, allowing three runs on three hits in an inning of work.
In game two against MSU Denver, Bates had the early solo shot (her team-leading seventh of the year) in the second, but the home team quickly took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Kaylynn Harmon and Sarena Espinoza singled to begin the frame and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Amanda Taney doubled in a run to tie the game. The Cowgirls got a pair of outs with no more scoring, but Colissa Bakovich drove in a pair with an infield single. Lani Redmond provided the inning-capper double to put the Roadrunners up 4-1.
Borunda led the offensive charge with two hits while Brink took the loss in the circle, allowing five hits and four earned runs in two innings of work. Harmon went 3-for-3 for the home team with three runs scored and three RBI's for the hosts. Cassidy Smith improves to 10-5 in the circle, allowing seven hits and two runs in five innings pitched.
The Cowgirls return to action Wednesday (April 1) against rival Eastern New Mexico in a double header. First pitch of game one set for noon.
