Saturday, March 14, 2015

KINGSVILLE, TEXAS — James Gray (Sr., St. Petersburg, Fla. / East Carolina University) threw a career-high nine strikeouts for the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team (5-11, 1-4 LSC) in their 4-3 loss to Texas A&M University-Kingsville (12-7, 6-2 LSC) during the first game of a four game series.

The senior right handed pitcher put in seven innings of work during the game, giving up five hits and one run, but no earned runs or walks.  The nine strikeouts is the second-highest single game performance by a Greyhound pitcher this season, behind only Cody Pope (Sr., Kingman, Ariz. / Williston State College) who has thrown 10 strikeouts twice this season.  The nine strikeouts give Gray 24 total strikeouts on the season, two behind the team's leader.

The Greyhounds play the Javelinas close for the entirety of the game, with both teams scoring no runs until their final at bats except for one run scored by Kingsville in the second inning.  Kingsville's lone score came off an untimely throwing error by Eastern, allowing the Javelinas to take a 1-0 lead.

In the final inning at bat for Kingsville, the Javelinas managed to break out of the scoring slump and put up three runs to take a 4-0 lead.  The Greyhounds answered with three of their own in the top of the ninth, but with a play in foul territory Kingsville ended the game, leaving two Greyhounds left on base.

The Greyhounds recorded seven hits and three RBIs in the contest, led from the plate by Keenan Dodd (Fr., Albuquerque, N.M. / Hope Christian Academy) who recorded two hits in four at bats with two RBIs.  Dodd was the only Eastern player with multiple hits and RBIs. 

Eastern will resume its series with Kingsville Sunday, with a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. (MST).