Great Starts From Coombes and Lewis Not Enough as Hounds Drop Two

Game Recap: Baseball | 3/7/2020 7:12:00 PM | Ryan Shumaker
Great Starts From Coombes and Lewis Not Enough as Hounds Drop Two

Eastern New Mexico lost both games on Saturday afternoon by 1-0 final scores to UT Permian Basin.

The Greyhounds were unable to provide run support for quality starts from sophomore Ethan Coombes in game one and junior Josh Lewis in game number two. Coombes struck out a season-high 12 batters and gave up just three hits over his seven innings of work in his third straight complete game performance in as many starts.

The Hounds out-hit the Falcons with four hits in that Coombes outing in game number one, but couldn’t find a way to get a run home. The lone run surrendered by Coombes proved to be unearned as the Falcons capitalized on one of two errors by the Hounds on the afternoon to get the winning run across in the top of the third thanks to a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Freshman Camden Matthews led off the ensuing inning with a base hit and was bunted over by sophomore Ross Montoya to give the Hounds their first real scoring chance of the game. Senior Malcolm Smith was hit by a pitch a batter later to put runners on first and second with two outs, but a strike out to end the inning kept the score at 1-0.

Montoya would serve as the next potential tying run to get on base in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out triple to centerfield, however another strikeout for the third out of the inning stalled the momentum for the Hounds once again. Senior Tristan Bowden got on base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and was pinch run for by sophomore Alex Kuhn, but another strikeout for the ensuing Hound batter put an end to the two-out rally threat.

Lewis took the mound for game number two and picked up right where Coombes left off for the Hounds, striking out six batters and allowing just five hits before running into trouble in the top half of the seventh. A two-out single followed up by a triple to left center from the Falcons allowed them to notch the lone run that they would need to secure their second straight 1-0 victory.

Smith and junior Trevor Moses recorded the lone two hits for the Hounds in the second game, while Smith and Montoya each found a way on base by way of a walk.

Eastern New Mexico and UT Permian Basin will finish up the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at noon.