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Greyhounds sweep West Texas

CANYON, Texas — The Eastern New Mexico University baseball team brought out the big sticks this weekend.

The Greyhounds also threw some pretty good pitching at Lone Star Conference South Division rival West Texas A&M.

ENMU pounded out 48 hits while its pitching staff limited the Buffaloes to 10 runs in 25 innings in a three-game sweep. ENMU (17-20, 6-8 South) won Friday’s opener 12-5, then completed a suspended 16-3 rout on Saturday before finishing off the Buffaloes 5-2 in the finale.

WT (13-28, 5-13) had taken four of five from Eastern this season prior to this weekend, including two of three in the earlier South series at Greyhound Field. The Hounds have won nine of their last 12 games.

Junior shortstop Josh Kuchta of Clovis led the hitting barrage, going 9-for-12 in the series with six runs scored and six runs batted in. Included was a 5-for-5 performance in the middle game.

Also, freshman third baseman Tyler Hayes was 8-for-12, junior catcher Brett Scherer went 7-for-13 and junior second baseman Bryan Moore was 6-for-12 for the weekend.

Sophomore right-handers Jesse Garcia-Perez (4-3) and Kelly Crain (4-1) pitched complete games in the final two contests. Garcia-Perez came back with five innings on Saturday after the Hounds opened an 11-2 lead with a 10-run fourth before darkness settled in on Friday.

Six players had two or more hits for the Hounds in that game. The fourth-inning explosion was highlighted by Kuchta’s two-run single and a two-run triple by Joey Aguilar.

Garcia-Perez allowed seven hits and two earned runs, and was backed by two double plays. Seven of ENMU’s runs were unearned, the result of four errors by WT.

Crain also allowed just seven hits in the finale, walking none and striking out two. Everyone hit safely in Eastern’s 12-hit attack, with five players driving in a run apiece.

After WT cut a 4-0 deficit to 4-3 in Friday’s seven-inning opener, the Hounds pulled away for good with four-run rallies in the fifth and sixth. Junior Trevor Davis (3-5) earned the win with four innings in relief of starter Ian Thurman-Kelly.

 
 
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