Hounds pull sweep over Texans

Freedom New Mexico

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Junior right fielder Ethan Wagner capped a big day with a go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the ninth inning, giving Eastern New Mexico University a 12-10 win over Tarleton State and a sweep of Saturday’s Lone Star Conference baseball doubleheader.

The Greyhounds, who won the seven-inning opener 10-6, returned the favor after losing twice to the Texans on Friday. It marked the third year in a row the teams split their four-game series.

Prior to his game-winning hit, Wagner belted a solo homer in the first — the third of three consecutive two-out solo shots behind Freddy Carmona and Paden Vendrely — and added a two-run homer in the fourth. He also had a single and a walk, scoring three times.

Wagner had seven RBIs for the day, driving in two runs in the first game with a single and a groundout.

Junior Seth Clabaugh (1-1), ENMU’s third pitcher in the nightcap, worked 2 1/3 innings for the win while right-hander Jerry Manning allowed one hit in the ninth in notching his second save of the season.

The Hounds (11-11, 7-9 LSC) led 6-1 and 10-6 in the second game, but Tarleton rallied to tie it on a one-out solo shot by Thomas de Angelis in the bottom of the eighth.

ENMU loaded the bases in the ninth with no one out against Chuck Brown (1-1) when Clabaugh singled, Carmona walked and Ryan Pruitt was hit by a pitch. Scott Crook relieved for the Texans and was greeted by Wagner’s single to center for a 12-10 lead.

Left fielder Clayton Young led an 18-hit ENMU attack with 4-for 4, while Vendrely was 3-for-3 and Wagner 3-for-4.

In the seven-inning opener, Carmona went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer to left-center that staked the Hounds to a 6-0 lead in the fourth.

That margin grew to 10-1 in a four-run sixth, but the Texans (10-13-1, 6-9-1) got back-to-back homers by de Angeles, a two-run shot, and Aaron Dalton in the bottom half. In the seventh, de Angelis hit a two-run double before reliever Evan Orsak retired the next two hitters to end it.

Matthew Aragon (3-1) went 5 1/3 innings for the win, allowing eight hits and four runs with two walks and six strikeouts. Vendrely added 2-for-5 at the plate with a run-scoring double in the first and an RBI single in the sixth.

College linescores

Saturday

Lone Star Conference

First game

ENMU 10, Tarleton State 6

ENMU