Hounds' struggles continue

Eastern New Mexico University’s baseball team has gone from a solid position in the Lone Star Conference standings to all but out of the postseason.

On Friday, the Greyhounds were competitive against Arkansas-Fort Smith, but couldn’t come up with enough offense in dropping 3-1 and 4-3 decisions to the Lions at Greyhound Field.

Originally, the four-game series called for single nine-inning games on Friday and today and a pair of sevens on Saturday, but due to expected high winds ENMU decided to go with the twin bill on Friday and 1 p.m. single tilts on Saturday and today.

After inching over the .500 mark with a comeback 6-5 win over Texas-Permian Basin on March 22, the Hounds (14-22, 12-22 LSC) have dropped nine in a row since then to fall five games behind the Lions (17-17, 17-17), who themselves are trying to make the eight-team LSC postseason tournament and currently stand in ninth place.

It’s the longest losing streak for ENMU since dropping nine in a row from April 10-24, 2022.

In Game 2, the Hounds took a 3-1 lead in the third inning on a two-run single by junior center fielder Tucker Gideon, but managed only one hit the rest of the way while stranding six runners, including two each in the fifth and sixth, as they were unable to take advantage of UAFS walks and errors.

The Lions tied the game in the fifth against reliever Ruger Bravo on a two-out, two-run single by senior center fielder Brandon Ulmer. They pushed over the go-ahead run in the seventh on a leadoff double by senior designated hitter Dan Taylor, a balk by freshman right-hander Zach Raichel (0-3) and an RBI single to center by senior left fielder Blayse Quarnstrom.

Junior right-hander Josaiah Estrella pitched four-plus innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Raichel went the final 2 1/3 frames, striking out three and allowing two hits.

Ulmer was 2-for-4 for the Lions, while junior left fielder Luciano Terilli finished 2-for-4 for the Hounds.

In the opener, junior left-hander Grant Shankle (3-2) worked six two-hit shutout innings before giving way to junior right-hander Luke Davenport after a leadoff walk to Gideon in the seventh. Junior designated hitter Juan Avila and junior third baseman Landon Pyles followed with singles to load the bases with no one out, and Terilli drove in Gideon with a fielder’s choice grounder.

Davenport then induced a 6-4-3 double-play grounder form junior second baseman Demetrio Archuleta to earn his second save of the season.

Junior right-hander Gavin Perry (5-4) tossed a complete game for the Hounds, permitting seven hits and two earned runs with three walks and five strikeouts.

Senior designated hitter Dakota Peters hit a two-run single for the Lions in the first inning, and UAFS made it 3-0 in the fifth with an unearned tally. Junior second baseman Noah Davis went 3-for-4 and scored twice for the Lions.