Hounds take two wins against Sul Ross

ALPINE, Texas — Junior right-hander Kelly Crain pitched seven solid innings and Josh Kuchta and Brett Scherer each delivered three hits Friday as the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team opened its 2005 season with an 8-2 victory over Sul Ross State.

On Saturday, the Greyhounds took the opener of a scheduled doubleheader 9-6. The second game was canceled because of rain with ENMU leading 2-0 in the third inning.

ENMU banged out 14 hits against Lobos pitchers Cody Armer and Cody Kammerling in Friday’s win. Meantime, Crain worked seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out six.

The Hounds took the lead with two runs on three hits in the top of the first. Kuchta scored the first run on Armer’s bases-loaded wild pitch while Justin Gee drove in Scherer with a groundout.

Scherer hit an RBI double and Wallace belted a sacrifice fly in the third for a 4-1 lead. Bryan Moore singled in another run in the sixth before Wallace’s solo homer to left in the seventh off Kammerling made it 6-1.

The Lobos got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, pinch-hit homer by Rafael Gonzalez. The Hounds tacked on two more runs in the ninth on singles by Kuchta and Scheer, Wallace’s sacrifice bunt, a sacrifice fly by Gee and a run-scoring double by Mike McDuffie.

Moore and McDuffie both went 2-for-5 for ENMU. Second baseman Justin Delgado was Sul Ross’ top hitter for the game, going 2-for-4.

In Saturday's win, center fielder Derrick Kennedy hit a three-run, inside-the park homer in the second, then drove in the go-ahead run in a three-run seventh with a groundout as the Hounds completed the abbreviated series sweep. Gilbert Juarez added insurance with a run-scoring single and came home on a two-out double by Bryan Moore.

Trevor Davis, ENMU’s third pitcher of the game, worked the final 1 1/3 innings to get the win. He took over after Gonzalez tied the game with a two-out homer off Keith Balderaz in the sixth.

ENMU collected nine hits off losing pitcher Victor Lozano, who went the distance for the Lobos, with Scherer and McDuffie each getting a pair of hits.

Friday

ENMU 8, Sul Ross State 2

ENMU 202 001 102 — 8 14 2

Sul Ross State 100 000 100 — 2 6 1

Kelly Crain, David Swinconos (8), Trevor Davis (9) and Brian Green; Cody Armer, Cody Kammerling (7) and Donald Kammerling. W — Crain (1-0). L — Armer (0-1). LOB — Eastern New Mexico 8, Sul Ross State 6. 2B — Eastern New Mexico: Bryan Moore, Brett Scherer, Mike McDuffie 2. HR — Eastern New Mexico: Mark Wallace (1). Sul Ross State: Rafael Gonzales (1). T — 2:28. A — 158.

Saturday

First game

ENMU 9, Sul Ross State 6

ENMU 032 010 3 — 9 9 1

Sul Ross State 040 002 0 — 6 10 4

Josh Brazell, Keith Balderaz (4), Davis (6) and Gerald Juarez; Victor Lozano and D. Kammerling. W — Davis (1-0). L — Lozano (0-1). DP — Eastern New Mexico 1. LOB — Eastern New Mexico 8, Sul Ross State 4. 2B — Eastern New Mexico: Moore, Scherer, Justin Gee, McDuffie, Gilbert Alvarado. Sul Ross State: Kyle Baldeschwiler, Paul Cataldi, Alex Galvan. HR — Eastern New Mexico: Derrick Kennedy (1). Sul Ross State: Gonzales (2). T — 2:47. A — 123.

Second game ccd., rain