PORTALES, N.M. – Eastern New Mexico baseball battled #12 Angelo State University to the very end, but late runs for the Rams beat the Greyhounds, 11-6, on Saturday afternoon at Greyhound Baseball Field. ENMU fall to 15-25 on the season, with a 14-24 conference record. After the sweep, the Rams move to 32-10 on the season, with a 30-10 record in LSC action.
 
Angelo struck first in the game with a double to deep right center field. With a runner on first, the double pushed them to the plate for a 1-0 lead. It didn't take long for the Hounds to respond, as the Hounds posted run in the bottom of the second frame. Spencer Roach began the inning with a full count walk for the Hounds first base-runner. With two outs, Andres Quintana hit the gap in right center field and brought Roach to the plate on a triple.
 
With the score at 1-1, Eastern strung together a series of hits in the third to take the lead. Camden Matthews started the hitting with a double, and Dax Edmonds followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Cooper Hamilton continued the hitting with an RBI single to second, scoring the go ahead run, 2-1 ENMU. Roach and Nick Schifftner jumped in with RBI singles to take a 4-1 advantage.
 
ASU didn't take long to reply, working a sacrifice fly in the next half inning, 4-2 ENMU. In the fifth inning, Angelo brought the score tied at 4-4. A leadoff single scored on a fielding error, and another run crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly. In the next inning, Angelo reestablished its lead with a sacrifice bunt with a runner on third sending the Rams on top 5-4. In the bottom of the sixth, two walks and a single loaded the bases for the Hounds with two outs. Edmonds worked a 10 pitch at bat and won the battle with a hit by pitch to score the tying run, 5-5, after six full innings.
 
Both teams went back and forth in the seventh inning, with Angelo State picking up two runs in the inning. Eastern replied with a single run in the bottom of the inning, taking the score to 7-6 ASU. Sammy Williamson scorched double to center field with two outs, and Quintana doubled to right center to send home to the plate.
 
After a scoreless eighth inning with great defensive play on both sides, Angelo loaded the bases in the ninth inning with two outs. A walk scored an insurance run for ASU, and a bases clearing double sent three more runs to the plate for a 11-6 lead. The Hounds looked to reply in with their final three outs but managed just one hit as the game ended 11-6 ASU.

NOTABLE STATS

• The Hounds and Rams each found 11 hits during the game, with Eastern scoring six runs with six RBIs. Three different Greyhounds finished with two hits in the game.
• Edmonds, Schifftner, and Quintana all finished with two hits, while Quintana led the group with two RBIs.
• Dalton Thatcher tossed a great game on the mound, going seven innings and giving up seven runs (five earned runs) with one strikeout. Tommy Perez closed the final two innings for Eastern, surrendering four runs from two hits.
• Jackson Haga gets the win in relief, with 3.1 innings pitched and giving up just one run. Carson Childers started the game and was charged with four runs in 2.1 innings of work, and Kyle Moseley went 3.1 IP allowing just one run.

FROM THE SOURCE

"Had them right where we wanted them today, but were a few plays and a big hit away from getting a win unfortunately," said Head Baseball Coach Riley Price. "(Dalton) Thatcher threw well and gave us a chance which was all we were asking for. We competed today and we got back to us for the most part which is what I wanted to see regardless of the outcome,"said Price. "We are in a good place as a whole going into our next two series, we just need to find a way to be a little cleaner on the mound as well as defensively".

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Hamilton extended his hitting streak to 10 straight games, the second longest streak by a Greyhounds hitter this season.
• With two hits, Dax Edmonds posted his 10^th multi-hit game of the season (the fifth Greyhound to do so this season).
• The Hounds now head to Laredo, Texas for a crucial four-game series with the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International. The series is set to begin on Friday, Apr 22, and will conclude on Sunday, Apr 24.