CU Sports
Kenton Means, Sports Information Director
PORTALES, N.M. – The Cameron University softball team struck for 23 runs and five homeruns in a doubleheader sweep of Eastern New Mexico on Friday. They won Game One, 12-3, and then Game Two, 11-3.
The two wins improve the Aggies record to 27-13 overall and 15-4 in Lone Star Conference play, while the Greyhounds are now 18-29 on the season and 10-13 in league play.
After a scoreless first inning in game one, both teams put two runs on the board in the second. CU’s two runs came from RBI singles from Bethany Hines and Brenna Busby.
The Aggies added three more runs in the third as Paige Daino drove in two on her ninth homer of the season and Abbey Warren scored on a throwing error after stealing third. Cameron matched that with three more runs in the top of the fourth, thanks to a B. Busby RBI double, followed by a run scoring single by her sister Callie Busby and a Daino sacrifice fly.
Eastern scored their third run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Aggies were able to keep the foot on the gas pedal as they scored four more runs to take a nine run lead. Hines drove in the first run on a single, which was followed by a two RBI single by B. Busby, who scored the fourth run later on in the inning on a double-steal.
Hines finished off the Greyhounds in the top of the fifth to get the run-rule win in game one. She gave up just one earned run on seven hits, while recording her 20th win of the season.
ENMU scored the first run of game two, but their lead would not last long as CU struck for three runs in the top of the second. Hines tripled in two of the runs before scoring on a single by Alyssa Osterdock.
Cameron also scored one run in both the third and fourth innings, as Breezy McComas drove in C. Busby on a fielder’s choice and then Annie Combs hit a solo homer to put the Black and Gold up 5-1.
The Aggies doubled that in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs all on homers. Daino and McComas went back-to-back with solo homeruns, and then a few batters later, Combs hit her second of the game with a three run shot that scored Osterdock and Hines.
Eastern cut into the CU lead with a two run homer of their own in the bottom of the fifth, but another Hines RBI hit in the top of the sixth and a scoreless bottom of the inning led to another Aggie run-rule victory.
Osterdock got the win in the circle, her seventh of the season, as she gave up just the three runs on nine hits. She also went 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI at the plate.
Cameron’s strong offensive showing was led by a number of players. Hines was 5-6 on the day with four runs scored and five RBI, while B. Busby also had five hits, while driving in four runs, the same amount as Combs.
Daino also had a strong showing at the plate going 4-5 with 4 RBI and four runs scored. Her two homers on the day were her 41 and 42 of her career. McComas also hit her 42 homer in game two, as her and Daino are each just one homer away from tying the Aggie program record.
The two teams will conclude the three game series on Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. central time.