PORTALES, NM — After the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team (21-22; LSC 5-16) faced an early five-run deficit,
Malcom Smith's fifth-inning triple pulled the Hounds within a single run. The sophomore centerfielder also made a spectacular diving catch in the following inning, which likely kept University of Texas of the Permian Basin (8-38; LSC 4-17) from addition a run. The Falcons exploded for nine unanswered runs for a 15-5 victory in the opening game of a Lone Star Conference series at Greyhound Baseball Field.
In the Series
- Although the Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the weekend's LSC series, the Hounds hold a 3-2 edge in the overall season series
- The game marked the first time UTPB defeated ENMU in Portales
- The Hounds hold an overall 12-6 lead in the series
- Eastern has outscored UT Permian Basin 40-35 combined over five meetings this season
In the Game
- The Falcons took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth, when Zack Shank's two-out RBI single plated Smith for the Hounds' first run
- After UTPB added a run in the top of the fifth, the Hounds exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth
- Reynaldo Guillen and Endy Villalona had back-to-back RBI singles
- After Eurick Perez was struck by a pitch, Smith followed with a two-run triple to pull the Hounds within 6-5
- The Falcons sent 13 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the seventh inning and added two more in the eighth
- The contest ended after the eighth, due to UTPB's 10-run lead
- Shank and Smith each had two hits
- Alex DeLaCruz extended his hit streak to seven games
- Cooper Coe and Dalton Drury each drove in three runs for UT Permian Basin
Up Next
- The teams will meet in a Saturday doubleheader
- The first game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.