Markel Turrell
Staff Writer
Starting on April 6, the Cameron softball team extended their win streak to six games after taking their three-game series against the Eastern New Mexico (ENMU) Greyhounds.
Cameron junior third baseman Alyssa Osterdock said getting six wins in a row really inspired the team.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” she said, “because before that we were kind of in a low spot after losing a couple of series’ in a row.”
Game 1
In the first game of the series, Aggie sophomore pitcher Bethany Hines dominated in the circle, pitching her best game of the season with a two-hit shutout; she also ended the game with 11 strikeouts.
The Aggies got things going early with a pair of runs in the first inning, as sophomore catcher Callie Busby hit an RBI single that scored sophomore outfielder Kaylyn Smith.
Following the first run, Eastern New Mexico pitcher Leslie Reyes walked junior utility player Abbey Warren with the bases loaded, which ended up bringing freshman utility player Aliyah Young home, extending the Aggies’ lead to 2-0.
The scoring didn’t stop there, however. In the bottom of the second inning, Hines hit an RBI of her own, running in senior third baseman Annie Combs. Warren then hit two more runs in the second, bringing the Aggies’ lead to 5-0.
After a few stagnate innings, the Aggies burst the fifth inning open with freshman first baseman Madyson Marvulli hitting a sacrifice fly ball to bring in a runner. Combs added on a second run, and in the sixth inning tacked on a final run, ending the game with an 8-0 victory for Cameron.
Game 2
Cameron junior pitcher Rylee Willmon performed consistently well in game two, as ENMU went scoreless throughout the first six innings, and only managing to tack on two runs in the final inning.
To begin the scoring for Cameron, Osterdock hit an RBI single that brought Warren home in the bottom of the second inning.
Osterdock said the team played great the whole series, and she was particularly satisfied with her own performance.
“They were pitching a lot of low in the zone,” she said, “which is what I hit the best, so it was right in my power zone every time I went up to bat.”
Callie Busby would give the Aggies a 2-0 lead in the third with a sacrifice fly that scored Hines; however, Busby wasn’t done for the day, as later in the fifth inning she gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead after ripping an RBI-double down the left field line.
ENMU kept things close early, but a strong sixth inning by the Aggies got them some much-needed breathing room after scoring three total runs in the sixth inning.
Senior second baseman Lauren Mason scored the first run in the sixth with an RBI, while Combs brought on even more with an RBI-triple.
ENMU would pick up a pair of runs in the seventh inning, but the scores were too late, allowing the Aggies to hang on for the win, 6-2.
Game 3
The Aggies struggled in the final game of the series.
After a slow start, ENMU took an early lead in the third inning after a walk with the bases loaded. The Greyhounds further extended their lead to 2-0 after a sacrifice fly.
However, the Aggies started to turn things around after Osterdock hit a solo homerun in the fourth inning, narrowing the deficit to 2-1. Osterdock then homered again in the fifth inning with the bases loaded, giving the Aggies a 5-2 lead.
Osterdock said ENMU kept making pitching mistake after mistake.
“After my first home run they never changed their zone any,” she said, “which wasn’t very smart on their part.”
The Greyhounds got back into the game with a homer of their own, cutting the lead to 5-4 in the sixth inning. However, in the bottom of the sixth, Combs hit a solo homer to left field, giving Cameron some breathing room up 6-4 and ending the game there.
After sweeping ENMU, the Aggies move to a 25-11 overall record on the year and 13-8 in the Lone Star Conference.
Cameron’s next big matchup is against perennial powerhouse and 13th ranked West Texas A&M beginning on April 13.
First baseman Alyssa Osterdock said the team is prepared and looking forward to the next series.
“As long as we pitch well and match them hitting wise, we should be fine,” she said. “We are usually pretty good at playing very well against good teams like them.”
