Pack ends regular season in flurry, sweeps WNMU

CSU-Pueblo 10, Western New Mexico 5
CSU-Pueblo 5, Western New Mexico 1

SILVER CITY, N.M. - The ThunderWolves finished the regular season Sunday on high note, scoring a doubleheader sweep of Western New Mexico, winning eight of their final 10 games of the season.

The ThunderWolves, behind a career-high three-RBI performance from senior Dominique Hernandez, scored a 10-5 win in Sunday's opener before cruising to a 5-1 win in the second game, led by a complete-game five-hitter from Amber Higby.

In the first game, the ThunderWolves put up runs in each of the seven innings except one, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before Western New Mexico could send any runners across the plate.

In the first, after the Pack's leadoff-hitter, Janine Tyler, struck out, Kari Romero followed it up with another strikeout, but reached base anyway on a passed ball that started off a two-run first inning.  Ashley Aldrich came through with a double to centerfield, and Hernandez brought everybody in with a two-run single.  From there, the Pack rolled.

In the fifth, holding a 6-1 lead, third baseman Katie Johnson put it out of reach for good with a three-run dinger, giving the Pack a 9-1 advantage.  Only a two-run fifth inning by the Mustangs kept the Pack from walking off with a mercy-rule win.

In the second game, the Pack overcame a poor fielding day, as four errors only accounted for one run behind Higby's near-shutout effort.  Higby didn't allow an earned run on the day, giving up five hits and only one walk.

The Pack's big offensive inning came in the fourth when Tyler connected on a leadoff home run to start the inning, and got the ball rolling on four additional hits on the inning, enabling four Pack runs.

As the Pack cruised through the day, claiming three of four from the Mustangs, the ThunderWolves closed out their regular season on their hottest streak of the season, winning eight of 10 and carrying the role of one of the RMAC's hottest teams going into next weekend's RMAC Tournament.  Only the conference's top team, Colorado Mines, closed the season on a hotter tear.

The Pack closes its season as the sixth seed in the eight-team RMAC tournament, drawing three-seed Metro State in the opening round.  Metro State, like CSU-Pueblo, ended their regular season winning eight of their last 10.  The Pack split with Metro State in six meetings this season, winning three.