Hounds struggle at home

PORTALES — Junior first baseman Trey Wingo slugged a three-run homer and senior right-hander Luis Estrella pitched a complete-game five-hitter as Southeastern Oklahoma beat Eastern New Mexico 7-2 in the opener of a four-game Lone Star Conference baseball series at Greyhound Field.

Wingo’s homer, his first of the season, came with one out in the sixth and gave the Savage Storm (2-5, 2-3 LSC) a 5-1 lead. Estrella (1-0) did the rest, striking out 12 with just one walk in the nine-inning contest.

The teams resume the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader today, consisting of a nine-inning game followed by a seven-inning contest. They will wrap it up with a nine-inning tilt at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Virtually all of the Greyhounds’ offense came from junior right fielder Jonathan Marbury, who went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot with a double and solo homers in th third and sixth innings.

Sophomore left-hander Seth Clabaugh (1-2) went six innings for ENMU (6-3, 0-1), allowing seven hits and five runs, four earned. He walked one and struck out six.

Southeastern took the lead on shortstop Randall Clay’s two-out homer in the first, his second of the season. The Savage Storm added an unearned run in the third when Cody Pearce tripled with two out and scored on a wild relay throw from center fielder Matt Chavez.

Marbury belted a two-out, opposite-field shot to left in the bottom of the third, then pulled to Hounds to 5-2 in the sixth when he led off with another home run to left.

The Savage Storm picked up single runs in the eighth, on an RBI single by Scott Hancock, and in the ninth, on a a single by Josh Rorex.

Wingo, Rorex and Hancock each had two of the Savage Storm’s 11 hits.