Greyhound baseball team drops two of three

KINGSVILLE, Texas — After a solid 5-1 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville in the opener of a three-game Lone Star Conference South Division series, Eastern New Mexico University’s offense dried up.

The Greyhounds managed only one run over 18 innings the rest of the way, losing 8-1 in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader and then absorbing a 4-0 loss in Saturday’s finale.

Sophomore right-hander Kelly Crain (2-0) continued to be the Greyhounds’ early-season stopper, allowing only three hits in Friday’s seven-inning opener. He has both wins this season for ENMU (2-8, 1-2 South).

Designated hitter Boyd Erickson went 3-for-3 with a double and two stolen bases, and junior right fielder Justin Gee was 3-for-4. The Hounds took advantage of three errors by Kingsville to score three unearned runs.

Tyler Hayes singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth and then rode home on Erickson’s double. The Hounds added insurance runs in the seventh when Bryan Moore scored on a wild pitch and Erickson tallied on Gee’s infield hit.

In Friday’s second game, Garrett Murdy (2-0) pitched a four-hitter and struck out 12 as the Javelinas (3-8, 2-1) cruised to victory. Murdy struck out five of the first six ENMU hitters, and had a shutout until Moore delivered an RBI single in the sixth.

Left-hander Jimmy Wells (0-3) couldn’t find the plate, issuing seven walks in 3 1/3 innings. Kingsville took a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run double by Brook McClain that was misjudged by ENMU center fielder Joey Aguilar.

The Javs chased Wells with four more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run double from Thomas Melvin.

On Saturday, Josh Peters (1-2) and Juan Obregon combined on a four-hit shutout. Peters left after walking the first two hitters in the eighth, but Obregon retired the side with no damage and then survived a pair of ENMU hits in the ninth.

Junior right-hander Trevor Davis (0-3) gave up 10 of TAMK’s 11 hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking none. Right fielder Pat Sopchak highlighted a three-run Kingsville second with a two-run single to right-center.

Gee had two of Eastern’s hits in the finale and finished the weekend 5-for-11.