Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Eastern New Mexico University junior Willie Ponce dives back into first base safely on a pickoff attempt as Texas A&M-Kingsville junior Kyle Perales takes the throw during Sunday's Lone Star Conference baseball game at Greyhound Field. The Javelinas won 16-6 and took three of four games in the series.
Following a blazing start to their Lone Star Conference series against Texas A&M-Kingsville, the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team struggled mightily the rest of the weekend.
The Javelinas pounded out 17 hits in each of the final two games, including Sunday's finale in which they blasted five home runs and cruised to a 14-8 victory to take the series 3-1.
ENMU won the opener of Friday's doubleheader 13-1, while Kingsville rallied to gain a split with a 7-6 victory in Game 2.
Senior right fielder Jake Chapman led the assault on Sunday, going 5-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Junior second baseman Vincent Sanchez also drove in four runs with a solo homer, a sacrifice fly and a two-run single while junior designated hitter Ramsey Amador added a two-run homer and an RBI single.
Both sides used six pitchers. Chapman's home run off junior right-hander Julian Lopez (1-1) staked the Javelinas (6-7, 5-7 LSC) to a quick lead in the top of the first.
Senior right fielder Cooper Hamilton promptly tied it with a two-run single in the bottom half, but junior first baseman Kyle Perales and Sanchez started the second with home runs and the lead grew to 7-2 when Chapman and Amador hit consecutive RBI singles in the fourth.
Trailing 14-4, the Hounds rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth, but junior right-hander Jose Gonzalez got the final four outs to end it.
Junior first baseman Beau Preston paced a 10-hit attack for ENMU (5-7, 5-7), going 3-for-6 with two runs scored an an RBI, while junior shortstop Willie Ponce added a pair of hits and scored three times.
"Once again, we had opportunities to take the game over early, but we left way too many runners stranded and couldn't string anything together until it was too late," ENMU coach Riley Price said. "They (Javelinas) came out swinging it today and we couldn't minimize (their attack) on the mound."
This weekend, the Hounds travel to Austin, Texas, facing St. Edward's in a four-game set starting with a noon (MST) nine-inning single game on Friday.
Texas A&M-Kingsville 16, ENMU 6 (Saturday) – In frigid conditions, the Javelinas broke a 5-5 tie with a six-run sixth, then finished it off on the 10-run rule after scoring five more runs in the top of the eighth.
ENMU started off well, riding an RBI double from junior catcher Daniel Pruitt and a two-run single from junior left fielder Luciano Terilli in the first and a sacrifice fly from Hamilton in the second for a 4-0 advantage.
The Javelinas went to work in the third with a two-run double from senior shortstop Michael Cervantes and an ENMJ outfield error to close to 4-3. Bases-loaded walks to Perales and junior center fielder Dalton Kramer gave Kingsville a 5-4 lead in the fifth, but the Hounds tied it in the bottom half on Preston's run-scoring fielder's choice.
Junior catcher M.J. Rodriguez keyed the Javelinas' big sixth inning with a three-run double. In the eighth, senior second baseman Garett Thompson delivered a two-run single and Amador added a two-run double.
Freshman right-hander Brian Buchanan (2-0) earned the win in relief, allowing three hits and a run over 2 1/3 frames. Starter Jake Thielen was lifted after four innings, allowing four hits and five runs while walking three and hitting four batters.
ENMU freshman right-hander Maddux Edmonson (0-1), the second of six Hounds pitchers, worked the sixth and took the loss.
Seven players had at least two hits for the Javelinas, led by Chapman and Amador, both 3-for-6. ENMU finished with seven hits, with Pruitt and Terilli each getting two of them.
