No. 20 WT tops Hounds

Staff report

PORTALES — Matt Cole hit a go-ahead three-run triple in the fourth and first baseman Christian Loya homered as No. 20 West Texas A&M turned back Eastern New Mexico 10-7 on Thursday night at Greyhound Field in the opener of a four-game Lone Star Conference baseball series.

WT (20-7, 9-4 LSC), which entered the series in a three-way tie for the league lead, fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, but tied it with three in the third. Cole’s triple made it 6-3, and he later scored on a wild pitch by ENMU starter Nick DeArmond (0-3).

Staff photo: Matthew Asher

ENMU shortstop Paul Tapia is tagged out during a double play by West Texas A&M first baseman Christian Loya in the second inning of Thursday’s game against West Texas A&M.

The Greyhounds (9-18, 2-11) kept it close most of the night, and got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth before Thomas Garland retired ENMU senior Dylan Nault on a grounder to third to earn his first save of the season.

Garland went 3 1/3 innings in relief of starter Justin McAllister (3-1), who gave up nne hits and six runs (five earned) in 5 2/3 innings.

Right fielder Mason Shiflett and catcher John Baida also had three hits for WT. Meantime, Nault finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and designated hitter Justin Paul, catcher Isaak Bustamante and second baseman Keenan Dodd all had two hits.

The Hounds jumped on McAllister in the first inning, scoring three times on four hits. Chris Padilla doubled and Zach Shank walked before Paul hit a two-run double down the left field line and scored on a single to center by Nault.

Dodd doubled home a run in the fourth, Nault hit another RBI single in the fifth and the Hounds scored on one of four WT errors in the sixth to pull to 8-6 before Garland relieved and struck out Paul with two men on base to end the threat.

Shiflett drove in a fifth-inning run with an infield hit and added a run-scoring double in the ninth, and Loya had an RBI groundout in the seventh.

The teams play another 6 p.m. game today before wrapping up the series with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.