Thursday, February 19, 2009

PORTALES, N.M. — Freshman catcher Samantha Davis (Farmington, N.M./Farmington HS) batted three-for-three with two homers, while Rebecca Quiñones (Jr., 2B, Gilbert, Ariz./Gilbert HS) hit four-for-five, to lead the Eastern New Mexico University softball team (7-5) to a doubleheader sweep of visiting University of Texas of the Permian Basin (0-11), Thursday afternoon at Zia Softball Field. ENMU won the opening game by a 4-0 score before taking the nightcap, 12-1.

The Zias erased a 1-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning of the nightcap, when Kristen Cruickshank (Jr., 1B, Glendale, Ariz./Deer Valley HS) cracked a one-out, two-run homer. The home run was her eighth of the season and the seventh in her last seven games. Later in the inning, Davis followed with the first home run of her career, a two-run blast, pushing Eastern’s advantage to 4-0.

In the fifth inning, Eastern tacked on five more runs, beginning with Davis’ three-run shot after Cruickshank drew a leadoff walk and Quiñones followed with a single. One out later, Jessica Pacheco (Sr., LF, Avondale, Ariz./Mesa CC/Millennium HS) and  Amanda Terry (So., DP, Portales, N.M./Portales HS) singled, Cara Brydle (Jr., SS, Chandler, Ariz./Mesa CC) drew a walk and Laura Thompson (Sr., CF, Towcester, Northants, England/Vernon College) drove a bases-loaded, two-run double in to the right centerfield gap, giving ENMU a 9-1 lead.

Kimberly Crouse (Jr. P, Round Rock, Texas/Hill College) had a RBI-double, while Pacheco and Alex Mayo Otis (Jr., RF, Phoenix, Ariz./St. Mary’s HS) had RBI singles as Eastern pulled away for the 12-1, five-inning victory.

Eastern out hit UTPB by a 16-3 margin, with Davis leading the way with a three-for-three performance at the plate with two homers, a double and five runs batted in. Terry also hit three-for-three with two runs scored. Crouse went the distance on the mound, limiting the Falcons to three runs over five innings, with five strike outs.

Cruickshank fanned a career-best 12 batters in the opener, the third most in any game in the program’s history and the most since Jennifer Harrer struck out 14 against Mesa State on May 11, 2001, at the NCAA Division II Regional tournament. She scattered four hits over seven innings to earn the win.

All of the Zias runs crossed the plate in the second inning, with Brydle knocking in the first run on a two-out RBI-double and Thompson plating her on an RBI single up the middle. One batter later, Mayo Otis crushed her fifth homerun of the season to give ENMU a 4-0 lead. Quiñones hit two-for-three in the contest.

The Eastern New Mexico University softball team will conclude their four-game home stand on Friday, when they host Oklahoma Panhandle in a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. MST.