Game Recap: Baseball | 2/14/2020 10:40:00 PM | Zac Alfers
An explosive seventh inning rally brought Eastern New Mexico baseball within striking distance late in the ballgame but eventually fell to UT Tyler 9-6 Friday night.
The Patriots drove in three runs in the bottom of the first before adding a run in the second and four more in the fourth to take a commanding 9-0 lead entering the fifth frame. The Hounds exploded for a six-run seventh inning which helped trim the deficit and make things interesting coming down the stretch.
The top of the seventh inning began as catcher Ryan Anderson and first baseman James Romero worked the count and drew back-to-back walks sending second baseman Trevor Moses to the plate. Moses, the Angelo State transfer, punished the opposing pitcher for issuing the free bases and belted the ball down the left field line for a three-run bomb to make it 9-3.
With two outs and a pair of runners in scoring position, shortstop Daniel Hunt dug into the batter’s box to keep the Greyhound rally alive. Hunt drove the second pitch he saw straight through the middle of the infield for a single as right fielder Jude Perea and center fielder Malcolm Smith came across to score. Hunt would safely cross the plate later on a wild pitch with the Hounds trailing 9-6 midway through the seventh.
Junior right hander James Puga earned his first start as a member of the Green and Silver before handing the ball over to sophomore Alex Kuhn who impressed in his first appearance on the mound. Kuhn has manned right field for the High Plains squad through the first six games of the season but entered into the game on the bump, taking over in the top of the sixth inning. Kuhn allowed just two hits while registering three strikeouts and issuing a walk in three innings of scoreless ball.
The Hounds have now hit homeruns in their last three consecutive games. Moses’s big fly in the seventh marks the teams third of the season and he led all batters with three RBI in the game.
UT Tyler scored their nine runs on 13 hits and no errors while the Greyhounds tallied their six runs on five hits and committed three errors.
Hunt went 2-for-5 at the plate with two singles, two RBI and a run and recorded his second straight multi-hit game. Hunt has come around to score at least once in his last three games.
The Hounds will look for better results tomorrow as they take the field for their first double header of the 2020 season with first pitch of game one slated for 4 p.m. at the Brook Hill School.
