Cowboys' six-run fourth sinks ENMU

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — New Mexico Highlands put together a six-run fourth to take the lead and designated hitter Jason Carr later added a three-run homer as the Cowboys beat Eastern New Mexico University 13-6 Tuesday in a non-conference baseball game.

The win was the first this season for Highlands (23-13) in four tries against ENMU. Last week, the Greyhounds (19-17) routed NMHU 16-1 at Greyhound Field.

ENMU started off well in this one also, building a 3-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Chris Eaton in the first, and Ethan Wagner’s run-scoring groundout and Richard Urban’s RBI single in the third.

With the score 3-1, though, the Cowboys erupted against ENMU starter Jared Wilson (0-2) and reliever Juan Sanchez, sending 11 men to the plate in the fourth in taking a 7-3 lead.

In the sixth, Oscar Sigala drew a two-out walk, Christian Garcia singled and Carr belted his 10th homer of the season to right-center off Sanchez.

Eaton singled and Wagner whacked his team-leading fifth homer in the seventh, and Ryan Pruitt added an RBI single to pull ENMU to 10-6. The Cowboys came back with three runs — one earned — off Ismael Solis in the bottom of the inning, getting RBI singles from Kevin Ayers and Sigala.

Highlands’ Gilbert Lopez (1-1) went the first five innings, allowing five hits and three runs, two earned. Meantime, eight of the nine starters in the batting order collected two hits for the Cowboys, who outhit the Hounds 17-13.

The Cowboys scored only nine runs in the first three games against ENMU, including a 9-8 loss in the season-opening Permian Basin tournament in which the Hounds rallied for five runs with two out and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth.

Wagner finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs for ENMU, while Pruitt, Kevin Thompson and Garrett Cook each had two hits.

The Hounds are back in action today with a 3 p.m. (MDT) make-up game at Wayland Baptist. The teams were rained out of an early-season twin bill, and will make up the other game on April 21.