The Lady Mustangs hosted El Paso Community College for a four-game exhibition series this weekend. USW was coming off a split in their last exhibition series against Western College during the week. Sitting at 5-9 for the year, the Lady Mustangs looked for a sweep to get back to .500, and they were able to do just that by taking all four games in the series.
 
Game 1
In game one, the Stangs come out scoring first, with Kilee Raulston hitting a double to score Felicity Villanueva in the first inning. Southwest would put up three runs in the second inning with RBIs from Villanueva, Raulston, and Amanda Perez. 
 
Moving into the 4th inning, Michaela Trevino tripled to bring in Villanueva. Raulston singled the very next batter to score Trevino. Kenzi Savell would then draw a walk with the bases loaded to bring in Hannah Campos. USW would add the final touch in the 6^th inning when Natalie DeLeon doubled to bring in Mikayla Martinez and end the game via the mercy rule, 8-0. 
 
Great pitching would also be essential for the Lady Mustangs in this one, as Hope Quinones would throw four innings of shutout ball while only allowing one hit and striking out three. Natalie DeLeon would throw well in relief, tossing the final two innings and allowing only two hits. 
 
Game 2
Southwest would get on the board right away in the first inning when Kilee Raulston tripled to bring in Felicity Villanueva. 
 
In the 2^nd and 3^rd innings, EPCC managed to put up three runs to make the score 3-1 going into the 3rd inning. An RBI triple in the 2^nd would tie the game at one, and an RBI triple and single ended up giving El Paso the lead early.
 
The Lady Stangs answered back and tied the game up with a Raulston triple to bring in Michaela Trevino, followed by another triple from Amanda Perez to bring in Raulston. 
 
In the 5^th inning, USW would add some insurance in the form of RBI from Raulston, Janessa Gabaldon, and Xyla Madry to win the game by a final score of 7-3.
 
Another solid pitching performance in game 2, with Marley Morales pitching four innings while allowing three runs and striking out six. Janessa Gabaldon shut the door for the final three innings and did not allow a run.
 
Game 3 
Southwest started out hot in the first inning by putting up four on El Paso right out of the gate. Felicity Villanueva stole home to get the scoring started for USW. Kilee Raulston would continue her strong weekend with a double that brought in Michaela Trevino. A couple of batters later, Hannah Campos would hit a sacrifice fly to bring in that final run of the inning for USW. 
 
In the 2^nd inning, Kenzi Savell would lead off with a single and then steal second base to put herself into scoring position with no outs. Mireya Aranda would then double to bring in Savell for a 5-0 lead.
 
The offense continued to swing it early as Amanda Perez led off the 3^rd inning with a triple. Campos would step up and single to bring in Perez and make it a 6-0 ballgame.
 
The offenses from both sides would stay quiet all the way until the top of the 7^th when EPCC would tack on two runs late off a USW error, but it would be too little too late. The Lady Stangs would take this one 6-2.
 
Ashley Alvarez had the start on the bump for the Lady Mustangs, and the Sophomore did not disappoint. She went all seven innings while only allowing two runs and striking out two in the process.
 
Game 4
With just one more win to get them back to .500, the Lady Mustangs were poised to make it happen in the series' final game. This time, though, it would be EPCC striking in the first inning after a double would drive in the game's first run.
 
The Lady Mustang offense would answer back, and in a big way. After a walk and a couple of singles, Kenzi Savell would walk with the bases loaded to bring in a run. Next, Michaela Trevino singled to bring in Xyla Madry. Felicity Villanueva would also join the scoring party with an RBI single of her own. Kilee Raulston's 2-RBI double would cap off the inning to make the score 5-1. 
 
In the bottom of the 3^rd, Hannah Campos would lead off with a triple to get herself in scoring position. After a walk, Madry would bring in Campos with a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 6-1. 
 
The offense continued to swing it when Savell singled in the 4^th inning and was brought in with a double from Trevino. Villanueva would later ground out to bring in Trevino for the 7-run lead. 
 
Going into the bottom of the 5^th, the Lady Mustangs were looking to end this one early, and they would get it done in a big way. With one out in the inning, Janessa Gabaldon would blast one out for a solo shot, and the mercy rule as USW would finish the sweep off with a 9-1 victory. 
 
Lia Gutierrez started for the Lady Mustangs would throw all five innings, allowing only one run and four hits on the day. 
 
Head Coach Chris Petroski had this to say following the sweep of EPCC, "It was a great weekend for Mustang Softball. The girls came together and played for one another. This was a great week for program growth on and off the field. I was able to see more of how the team works in different situations, and we were able to execute on offense, defense, and in the circle. I am proud of how the girls are playing with one of our many team mottos, TOGETHER.  We fight as ONE and for the team. We grow stronger every day, and I'm excited for Conference to open up at home next weekend. 
 
USW Softball will return this week with a midweek exhibition series against Odessa College before heading into conference play. Continue to follow USW Athletics and USW Softball on all social media for scores and updates throughout the season.