ENMU tops Angelo State

Junior first baseman Mitch Wolfe capped a five-run Eastern New Mexico University sixth with a bases-clearing double and the Greyhounds held on for a 9-7 victory over Angelo State in Friday’s opener of a three-game Lone Star Conference baseball series at Greyhound Field.

Sophomore right-hander Lane Drake (2-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief while senior right-hander Anthony Smith pitched two innings for his third save and the 11th of his career, moving him ahead of Trevor Smith for second place on the ENMU all-time list.

The Hounds (11-24, 7-18 LSC) took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on Brandon Devries’ two-run single and an RBI grounder by Daniel Patching, but the Rams (20-19, 14-14) stormed in front with a five-run fifth. Tate Allison’s two-out, two-run single chased ENMU starter Marcus Drake and put ASU in front 5-3.

The Hounds got one back in the bottom of the fifth, then chased starter Bryant Rudltege (5-4) with their sixth-inning rally on three hits, two walks and two hit batsmen.

Devries led off with a double down the left field line, then a walk and consecutive hit batsmen forced in the tying run. Joe Huwer drove in the go-ahead run with a fielder’s choice grounder on which the Rams retired no one, and Wolfe followed with his three-run double to left field.

The Rams scored twice in the eighth to pull close, getting both runs on infield outs. Smith pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth to finish it.

The teams wrap up the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader today.