Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Hounds outlast Abilene Christian

ABILENE, Texas — First baseman Allen Smith’s two-out, bases-loaded error in the top of the eighth allowed two runs to score, and the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team pulled out a 7-6 win over Abilene Christian on Sunday to avoid a four-game Lone Star Conference sweep.

ENMU (17-17, 10-14 LSC) led 5-1 going into the bottom of the seventh behind the four-hit pitching of right-hander Thomas Green, but the LSC-leading Wildcats (24-12, 21-6) erupted for five runs on six hits to take a 6-5 lead — all of the damage coming with two out and a runner at second.

The Greyhounds loaded the bases off Wildcats closer Chris Wiman (5-2) in the eighth on consecutive one-out singles by Paden Vendrely, Chris Eaton and Jonathon Marbury. Wiman then slipped a called third strike past Clayton Young, but Kevin Thompson’s grounder was booted by Smith as pinch-runner Daniel Martinez and Eaton scored.

ENMU closer Keith Balderaz worked around a leadoff single in the eighth and a leadoff double in the ninth, getting Ryan Moldt on strikes with the tying run at third to end it and earn his fifth save of the season.

The Hounds outhit Abilene Christian 13-12, with Marbury going 3-for-4 and five others collecting two hits.