Hounds earn split with Angelo

Freedom New Mexico

Eastern New Mexico University earned its second walkoff win of the weekend against ninth-ranked Angelo State on Saturday.

Paden Vendrely drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh inning and pinch-runner Jeremy Johnson scored from first base when Angelo center fielder Isaac Garcia misplayed Ethan Wagner’s single, giving the Greyhounds a 5-4 Lone Star Conference win over the Rams at Greyhound Field.

Angelo State won Saturday’s opener 15-3 after losing to ENMU 5-4 in the ninth inning on Friday. Both games Saturday were seven innings.

The teams complete the four-game series with a 1 p.m. nine-inning affair today.

Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth in the nightcap, ENMU (16-13, 12-11 LSC) tied the score on back-to-back doubles by Wagner and pinch-hitter Sean Cruce. Cruce took third on a wild pitch and scored on pinch-hitter Garrett Cook’s single through the middle.

The Rams (22-10, 16-7) pulled even against Jerry Manning (3-1) in the seventh when Travis Lee singled, took second on a sacrifice and scored on a single by Clay Puckett.

Designated hitter Keith Towne hit a two-out homer in the top of the first for the Rams, giving him one in each of the three games in the series. The Hounds tied it in the third when Clayton Young singled, went to second on a passed ball and scored on Kevin Thompson’s single.

Trey Carter’s sacrifice fly in the fourth and Towne’s RBI single in the fifth put ASU ahead 3-1. The Hounds got one back in the bottom of the fifth on consecutive two-out singles by Thompson, Seth Clabaugh and Freddy Carmona.

Wagner led the Hounds’ 12-hit attack, going 3-for-4, while Thompson, Clabaugh and Carmona were all 2-for-4. Towne finished 3-for-4 for the Rams, who had eight hits.

Angelo State dominated the opener, scoring in each of the first six innings highlighted by a seven-run fifth that featured a two-run single by Tony Kostelnik and a two-run double by Puckett.

Kenny Elkind (4-2) gave up nine hits in five innings, but was able to nurse the Rams’ cushion. The Hounds pulled to 5-2 on a two-run single by Vendrely in the third, and got their other run in the fourth on singles by Chris Eaton and Cook and an RBI groundout by Stephen Lopez-Barela.

Jerris Springfield and Casey Smith each pitched a perfect inning in relief of Elkind.

Angelo State pounded 18 hits off five ENMU pitchers, led by shortstop Austin Lasprilla with 3-for-3, two walks and four runs scored. Towne, who hit a two-run homer in the third, and Kostelnik each drove in three runs.