Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
BY THE STAFF OF THE NEWS
PORTALES — To say that Texas A&M International baseball coach Ryan Flynn went to the bullpen early and often over the weekend would be an understatement.
The Dustdevils’ skipper used eight pitchers in a winning effort on Saturday, then came back with nine hurlers on Sunday. This time, though, Eastern New Mexico University plated seven first-inning runs and the Greyhounds made them stand up for a 9-6 Lone Star Conference win at Greyhound Field, their first victory of the season.
Left fielder Jude Perea collected three RBIs for the Hounds (1-5) with a two-run single in the first and a sacrifice fly in a two-run fourth. Right fielder Alex Kuhn capped the big first inning with a two-out, inside-the-park solo home run for a 7-2 lead.
International (2-4) pounded out 17 hits in the contest, but all of them were singles and the Dustdevils finished with 14 runners left on base — including the bases loaded in the ninth when ENMU reliever Lane Saunders got shortstop Luis Flores on a fly ball to right to end it and earn a three-inning save. For the three-game series, International scored 24 runs and stranded 36 baserunners while ENMU tallied 20 times and left 28 on base.
Shortstop Daniel Hunt, third baseman Joseph Zubia and first baseman James Romero each had two of the Hounds’ 10 hits, while catcher Ryan Anderson drove in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded walk in the first and an infield single in the fourth. Starter Josh Lewis (1-0) worked six innings for the victory, allowing 13 hits and all six runs (five earned) but walking just two while striking out five.
Designated hitter Jerry Villareal had three hits and three RBIs for the Dustdevils, and Flores went 3-for-6 and scored twice. Starter Joseph Garza-Delapena (0-2) failed to retire any of the five batters he faced and absorbed the loss.
The Hounds return to action with a four-game LSC weekend series at Texas-Tyler, including a pair of seven-inning contests on Saturday.
A&M International 12, ENMU 9 (Saturday) — The Dustdevils, who won 6-2 in Friday’s opener, prevailed in a wild back-and-forth game to clinch the series.
A&M International scored three times in the top of the seventh to break a 9-9 tie, getting a run-scoring single from Phillip Sanchez and RBI doubles from Adrian Castillo and Hunter Trinidad. The Dustdevils also had 17 hits in this one, including at least one from everybody in the lineup, with center fielder and leadoff man Anthony Handall setting the tone with a 3-for-5 performance.
Meantime, ENMU collected 12 hits in a game which lasted three hours, 48 minutes. The teams combined for 15 walks, 18 strikeouts and three hit batsmen.
Third baseman Joseph Zubia went 2-for-5 for the Hounds, including a two-run homer in the first inning, while center fielder and leadoff man Malcolm Smith was 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.
Catcher Paris Johnson hit a two-run homer for the Dustdevils in the sixth, erasing an 8-6 Hounds advantage.
