Friday, February 13, 2015

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — The Eastern New Mexico University men's baseball team (3-1) took the first game of a four game series against New Mexico Highlands University (1-3) in resounding fashion Friday, winning 13-4.

Cody Pope (Sr., Kingman, Ariz. / Williston State College) moved to 2-0 on the season, recording another sterling performance.  Pop finished the game with seven innings pitched, two earned runs, four strikeouts and two walks.  After giving up one run and two hits in the first inning, the senior ace settled in and went four innings giving up no hits and only allowing two batters to reach base.

From the plate, Eastern drew first blood off a solo shot from Charles Sandberg Jr. (Jr. Bradenton, Fla. / State College of Fla. Sarasota) in the first inning.  The sixth inning saw the Greyhound's bats come to life, producing four runs off three hits, three walks and a Highland error.

The seventh inning saw Eastern score an additional four runs off two hits.  Blake Cooper (Sr., Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Wilson HS / Golden West College), Mark Foley (Sr., Vacaville, Calif. / Solano College) and Sandberg all recorded homeruns in the game, pushing Eastern's season total to nine homers which is No. 1 in the Lone Star Conference. 

The Greyhounds finished with a team batting average of .342 off 15 hits, 12 RBIs and seven multiple base hits.  Eastern now has a season slugging percentage of .658, which also earns them the No. 1 spot in the LSC for that category.

The Greyhounds will continue their series against New Mexico Highlands tomorrow with a double header, followed by a wrap up game Sunday, Feb. 15.  Following this series, Eastern will head home to play host to University of the Southwest in Portales, N.M., at Greyhound Field Tuesday, Feb. 17.