Hounds earn split

Freedom New Mexico

Freshman center fielder Luis Quinones, starting the second game after preseason All-American Jereme Johnson suffered a leg injury in the opener, hit a two-out RBI single to right-center in the bottom of the eighth Friday to lift Eastern New Mexico University to a 14-13 win over Southeastern Oklahoma,

The Savage Storm rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the final three innings to eke out a 6-5 win in the seven-inning opener of as both teams opened Lone Star Conference play at Greyhound Field. The teams complete the four-game set with a 1 p.m. twin bill today.

ENMU (1-3) erased a 5-0 deficit by sending 16 batters to the plate in an 11-run second inning in the second game, capped by senior designated hitter Sean Cruce’s two-out, three-run double.

Southeastern relievers Joel McEntyre and Cullen Pryor then blanked the Hounds through the sixth, and the Savage Storm rallied back to take leads of 12-11 and 13-12. ENMU used two singles, a sacrifice, a hit batsman and a bases-loaded walk to Matt Nilo to tie it in the eighth before Quinones lined his third hit of the game for the lead.

Junior right-hander Anthony Smith, who took the first-game loss, earned the save in Game 2 by working around a one-out single in the ninth.

In the opener, Ethan Wagner blasted a three-run homer in the first and the Hounds added two runs in the fourth for a 5-1 lead.

Catcher Brad Shankle hit a leadoff homer off starter Jerry Manning in a two-run Savage Storm fifth, and Southeastern tied the game in the sixth on a two-run double by designated hitter Brandon Smith.

In the seventh, Justin Miller reached on an infield single, took second on a groundout, stole third and scored for the lead when catcher Ryan Pruitt’s throw sailed into left field.