Walks, errors prevent Hounds from season-opening series sweep

Staff report

GOODWELL, Okla. — Freshman catcher Daniel Blake drove in six runs with two singles, a double and a sacrifice fly and Oklahoma Panhandle State salvaged the finale of a season-opening three-game series on Sunday with an 11-7 win over Eastern New Mexico University.

The Aggies took advantage of eight walks, a hit batsman and two wild pitches in two innings by ENMU starter Daniel Ward to score seven runs on just one hit — Blake’s two-out, three-run double in the second to erase the last of what had been an early 4-0 Greyhounds lead and put OPSU ahead 7-5.

Junior left-hander Tristan Hubler worked 6 1/3 innings for OPSU to get the victory. Freshman Zane Grigsby and sophomore Edward Lopez each pitched a scoreless inning in relief as the Aggies won despite being outhit 12-7.

Blake got his sac fly in a three-run Aggies first — on a ball dropped by ENMU left fielder Mike McNicholl, one of four ENMU errors in the contest. He added run-scoring singles in the fourth and eighth innings.

The Greyhounds, who committed just one error in winning Saturday’s games 3-0 and 10-5, scored four times in the top of the first, highlighted by sophomore shortstop Tregra Williams’ two-run homer.

ENMU made it 5-3 in the second on an RBI single by right fielder Justin Paul, who went 3-for-5 in the game with a seventh-inning leadoff homer and three RBIs. Paul was the only player for the Hounds with more than one hit in the game.

Five relievers combined to allow six hits and four runs — three earned — over the final six innings for the Hounds. Meantime, Hubler permitted 10 hits and six runs — five earned — with three walks and four strikeouts before giving way to right-hander Logan Litton with one out in the seventh.

The top five hitters in OPSU’s batting order combined to go 1-for-10, but drew 12 walks and scored 10 of the Aggies’ runs. Blake was the No. 6 hitter in the lineup.

Freshman shortstop Ivan Silva hit a leadoff homer for the Aggies in the bottom of the eighth.

The Hounds will be crossing the country over the next two weekends. They play three games in Atlanta this week, beginning with a 1 p.m. (MST) contest on Friday against Clark Atlanta, befor