LUBBOCK, TEXAS – Eastern New Mexico Baseball fell in both games of a tight doubleheader with #18 Lubbock Christian on Saturday afternoon at Hays Field. During the opening game, Eastern scored five runs in the 7
th inning to push the game to extras, but LCU picked up the win on a sacrifice fly. During the second game, both scored with the long ball with the home team grabbing a 12-9 win over the Greyhounds. With the losses, ENMU slips to 21-28 overall along with a 19-28 LSC standing. LCU now holds a 35-14 overall record, while holding a 34-13 conference record.
GAME ONE: #18 LCU 6, ENMU 5 (9 INN.)
Base runners were hard to come by over the first three inning, with both teams combining for three hits. The Chaps broke open the scoring in the 4
th frame, with two singles and a two-out home run putting Lubbock Christian on top 3-0. In the following inning, a two-run home run pushed the advantage to 5-0 after five innings.
Eastern went down to their finale three outs in the 7
th and rallied to tie the game at 5-5. Three singles from
Jonathan Baileys,
Daniel Pruitt, and
Tucker Gideon loaded the bases with no outs, as
Cooper Hamilton broke up the shutout with a bases loaded walk.
Landon Pyles followed with a single to right center and represented the tying run on first base (5-3 LCU).
Luciano Terilli brought home a run on a sacrifice fly, while Pyles advanced to third base after a balk and a stolen base. Then,
Beau Preston reached on a fielder's choice as Pyles beat out the throw home to tie the game at 5-5. Overall, the Greyhounds put up five runs from four hits and a walk.
Both teams put the winning run on during the 8
th inning but couldn't score. Lubbock Christian brought home the game ending run in the 9
th inning, after a leadoff walk moved to third on a stolen base and an error. A sacrifice fly ended the game for the Chaps, winning the game 6-5.
NOTABLE STATS
- Both teams finished with eight hits, while four of the Greyhounds hits came in the five run seventh inning. Hamilton's triple was the only extra base hit for the Greyhounds.
- Eight Greyhounds finished with a base hit, and five different runners scored once in the game.
- Gavin Perry tossed five innings, allowing five runs from a pair of home runs with eight K's and no walks. Maddux Edmonson tossed a 1-2-3 inning, while Josaiah Estrella allowed one unearned run over 2.1 innings in the loss.
- Ayden Alger worked 6.1 innings for the Chaps, allowing five runs with seven K's. Alec Stanfield and Josh Akers combined for the final 2.2 innings for LCU, with Akers taking the win.
GAME TWO: #18 LCU 12, ENMU 9
The Greyhounds started the game with a bang hitting three home runs in the opening inning. After Preston reached on a single,
Demetrio Archuleta homered to left center to get ENMU ahead 2-0. Later in the inning, Baileys and Pruitt went back-to-back over the fence pushing ENMU's lead to 4-0.
Eastern played long ball again during the 3
rd inning, with Baileys reaching on a single and Pruitt scoring hitting a two-run blast to center field as the Greyhounds led 6-0. From that point, Lubbock Christian mounted a comeback with seven unanswered runs over two innings. LCU plated three runs on a pair of bases loaded walks and a pass ball, to get the deficit to 6-3. During the 4
th inning, four runs scored for Lubbock Christian, with an RBI single, two-run home run, and an RBI double giving the Chaps a 7-6 lead.
Baileys restored the tie in the 5
th inning, hitting a moonshot down the right field line. Eastern did take the lead back during the inning, Pyles scored a run on a bases loaded fielder's choice, 8-7 ENMU. The Greyhound's lead was short lived, as the home team scored four runs in the 5
th inning. A two-run home run put the Chaps ahead 9-7, then a sacrifice fly and a RBI double put the Chaps ahead 11-8.
Each team added a run before the game ended, with Lubbock Christian hitting a solo home run in the 6
th. Preston brought home the Greyhounds run in the 7
th with a two-out triple to plate Terilli after reaching on a walk. The run for ENMU served as a consolation, as the Chaps finished with a 12-9 victory.
NOTABLE STATS
- Eastern finished with 11 hits in the game, while the Chaparrals finished with nine hits. The two teams finished with eight home runs, with the Greyhounds providing five.
- Baileys (3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R) and Pruitt (2-2, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB) led the Greyhounds effort at the plate, while Gideon, Preston, and Archuleta each finished with two hits.
- Julian Lopez started the game and went hitless over 2.2 innings but allowed seven walks and three runs. Adrian Rubio allowed eight hits and eight runs over 2.0 innings, taking the loss. Jadon Rendon tossed 1.1 frames, allowing one hit and one run.
- Five pitchers took the hill for the Chaps, with Josh Akers earning the win in 0.2 frames. Andrew Duran started the contest for LCU, giving up eight runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings.
FROM THE SOURCE
"(Gavin) Perry threw a great game one for us in his five innings," said Head ENMU Baseball Coach Riley Price. "Unfortunately, the few hits they had left the ballpark, and the wind didn't help. Offensively, we battled back at the end and pushed the game to extras but couldn't quite hold on," said Price.
"In game two, we responded with an impressive offensive performance and ultimately out hit them in the end, but we fell apart on the mound up six runs and blew the lead. We let them back in the game with free bases and couldn't stop the running game," said Price. "Need to find a way to salvage the weekend tomorrow,".
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Pyles compiled their eight multi-RBI game of the season, bringing home both runs in the top of the 7th of game one.
- During the first game, Perry tied a season best eight strikeouts in the contest (hitting the mark in back-to-back outings).
- Pruitt supplied their 6th and 7th home run of the season, taking the team lead for the Greyhounds on the season. Archuleta also went long during game two, their fourth of the campaign.
- Also hitting multiple home runs, Baileys brought their season total to six on the season (their second multi-home run game of the season). Additionally, Baileys totaled a season high three hits in the game and scored three times.
- Also in the batter's box, Preston supplied their third triple of the season and Gideon extended their hitting streak to eight straight games.
- Five home runs in the second game is the most by the Greyhounds in a single game, tied for the 3rd most all-time in program history.
- The Greyhounds wrap up the 2024 season tomorrow in Lubbock, playing the Chaps in a nine-inning game on Sunday, Apr 28, beginning at 12 p.m. (MST).
