Hounds post first series win at Kingsville

Freedom New Mexico

KINGSVILLE, Texas — Struggling senior right-hander Tyler Doughty pitched five strong innings in relief and Eastern New Mexico University used a four-run, sixth-inning rally to beat Texas A&M-Kingsville 5-4 and sweep Saturday’s Lone Star Conference baseball doubleheader.

In the seven-inning opener, junior first baseman Seth Clabaugh homered and drove in three runs as the Hounds posted a 7-5 victory. ENMU (14-12, 10-10 LSC), which split Friday’s twin bill with the Javelinas, won a series at Kingsville for the first time in the program’s history.

Doughty (1-1), who had an earned run average of 28.80 over two starts and two relief outings this season prior to Saturday, took over in the fifth for Jerry Manning, who made his first start of the season after 10 relief appearances.

Doughty allowed only two baserunners through the eighth, then pitched around two errors in the ninth as the Javelinas (9-16, 6-14 LSC) scored once to close within a run.

Kingsville broke on top on on Clifton Thomas’ RBI single in the second and made it 3-0 in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single to right by second baseman James Brown.

The Hounds got on the board in the fifth with the help of two Kingsville throwing errors on the same play, then took the lead in the sixth.

Freddy Carmona hit a one-out double off Kingsville starter Tim Jones (0-3), then took third on Paden Vendrely’s single to left and scored on Ethan Wagner’s infield hit.

Shortstop Garrett Cook doubled down the left field line to tie it, and Danny Martinez scored pinch-runner Matt Chavez on a squeeze bunt for a 4-3 lead. Stephen Lopez-Barela capped the inning with an opposite-field RBI single to right.

Cook was 3-for-4 with two doubles to lead ENMU’s nine-hit attack.

Vendrely’s two-run homer, his third of the season, capped a four-run first in the opener and senior right-hander Evan Orsak pitched 2 1/3 innings for his first save of the season.

Clabaugh hit a sacrifice fly in the first and pushed the Hounds in front 7-3 with a two-run homer, his first of the season, in the fourth inning.

Junior Russell Campbell (2-2) picked up the win despite giving up nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. Orsak worked around two infield errors to start the bottom of the seventh, giving up a sacrifice fly to Kingsville’s Luis Diaz before getting the next two hitters to leave the tying runs on base.

Clabaugh, Carmona and Ethan Wagner all had two hits for ENMU. Kingsville starter Chris Brown (2-3), who failed to get anyone out in the second inning, gave up five runs on three hits and three walks.