KINGSVILLE, Texas – Winning both games of the Saturday doubleheader, Eastern New Mexico Baseball (3-0, 3-0 LSC) captured a pair of road wins against Texas A&M-Kingsville (0-3, 0-3 LSC) on Saturday afternoon at Nolan Ryan Field. Eastern took the opening game with a comfortable 9-1 win, then ENMU grabbed the night cap, 6-5.
GAME ONE: ENMU 9, TAMUK 1
The Greyhounds out hit the Javelinas 10-4 during the opening game, with Eastern suppling four extra base hits in the game.
Willie Ponce and
Anthony Cortese picked up three hits in the game, with Ponce scoring three times. Cortese had two RBIs to lead the team.
On the mound,
Nick Mooney hurled 4.2 frames with four strikeouts and only three hits allowed to earn the win.
Adrian Rubio entered the game in relief, totaling 2.1 clean innings with five strikeouts and one hit allowed.
Eastern started early with two runs in the 1
st frame, with three hits in a row from
Demetrio Archuleta (single), Ponce (triple), and Cortese (double). TAMUK responded with a run in the 2
nd, but Eastern scored five runs in the 3
rd inning to build a comfortable cushion.
Luciano Terilli started with a single, then
Jalen Freeman drove him home with a triple. After Freeman scored on a wild pitch,
Tucker Gideon brought a run to the plate with a double, and a
Daniel Pruitt sacrifice fly ended the scoring in the 3
rd.
GAME TWO: ENMU 6, TAMUK 5
Beau Preston had a key 3-RBI double, while Terilli posted a pair of hits and an RBI. Both Ponce and Gideon had a hit and scored during the game. On the hill
Cole Lancaster held TAMUK scoreless over the first four innings, while allowing just two runs during a 5.0 inning outing. In the win, Lancaster struck out six with one walk and six hits allowed.
Jose Carranza threw 1.1 innings, allowing three runs, while
Josaiah Estrella struck out the two batters he faced to pick up a save.
Eastern used timely hitting to pick up the win during the second game, as five of the Greyhounds six hits occurred during the six run fifth inning. Ponce started the fifth frame with a double, then ENMU loaded the bases with no outs.
Adrien Martin earned a RBI with a bases loaded walk, then Preston doubled into the left center gap to clear the bases, 4-0 ENMU. Terilli added an RBI double, and Archuleta had an infield single to score another run. The Javelinas came alive in the final few innings, scoring two runs in the 5
th and three runs in the 6
th, as the Greyhounds led 6-5 going into the 7
th. With the tying run on base and one out for the Javelinas, Estrella took the hill and recorded two punchouts to secure the 6-5 victory.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Mooney made his first appearance for the Greyhounds earning the win, after missing all of 2024 through injury. Carranza, Martin, and Lancaster played their first games with the Greyhounds.
- Estrella picked up his first save of the season, and the second of his ENMU career.
- Both Ponce and Archuleta passed the century mark for games played with the Greyhounds.
- The Greyhounds secured a series win against the Javelinas for the first time since 2004, and the first ever road series win against Texas A&M-Kingsville in program history.
- The Greyhounds play the get-away game on Sunday afternoon at Nolan Ryan Field. First pitch against the Javelinas is scheduled for 12 p.m. (MST) / 1 p.m. (CST).
