LAS VEGAS, N.M. - As the race for a berth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament heats up, the Cowgirls picked up a key sweep over the Eagles to climb closer to that goal Saturday afternoon (April 11).
New Mexico Highlands (16-22, 10-15 RMAC) improved to 9-5 in its last 14 conference games thanks to a pair of 6-0 win against Chadron State (10-28, 10-16 RMAC) at the HU Softball Fields in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
It was a pair of dazzling pitching performances by senior
Jessica Brink and freshman
Michelle Brincefield for a pair of shutout wins. The duo combined five hits and one walk with 15 strikeouts to allow late surges by the Cowgirl offense to put the games away.
In game one, it was a pair of Cowgirls' runs in both the fifth and sixth that blew open a 2-0 game.The ironic part: Highlands scored critical runs in both innings after two players were out. In the fifth, sophomores
Katelyn Bates and
Alysia Cavone hit back-to-back doubles. After an infield single by
Dekota Monarrez, senior
Jacquelyn Wood singled to left field to score Cavone. The sixth inning saw the Eagles commit a critical error. Brink singled before being pinch run for by sophomore
Marlinda Pecos. Junior
Jacquelyn Solis walked to set up an unusual situation. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but the catcher threw the ball wildy to third in an attempt to get Pecos as both runs came around to score.
Highlands had single tallies in the first and third. It was a sacrifice fly by junior
Ashton Borunda in the first while a dropped fly ball and a kicked ball at shortstop allowed freshman
Destiny Navarro to score in the third.
Brink (9-9) - who is 9-3 in her last nine decisions - gave up her lone hit in the first inning and her only walk in the second (who was retired on a caught stealing). In fact, Brink retired the side in order in the last six innings of the ballgame. Offensively, Wood was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Navarro and Brink both went 2-for-4.
Aspen Eubanks had the lone hit for the Eagles, a double, in the first inning. Tayler Hall (9-10) took the loss in the circle for Chadron State.
Game two saw a five-run outburst by the Cowgirls in the bottom of the fifth. Wood walked and scored on sophomore
Gabby Hansell's double. Navarro doubled in the second run of the inning before advancing to third on a single. Borunda stole second before Hansell swiped home on a delayed steal. Cavone capped the inning with a two-out, two RBI single.
The first run of the game crossed the plate when Solis doubled and scored on a Brink single.
Brincefield improved to 5-6 on the season, allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts in the complete-game win. Navarro went 3-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Solis went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Cierra Cosslett fell to 1-10 on the year for Chadron State, allowing six runs and 11 hits in 4.1 innings pitched.
The Cowgirls go for the series sweep Sunday (April 12) with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
