Game Recap: Baseball | 2/6/2022 6:31:00 PM | Nicolle Holcomb

The Eastern New Mexico baseball team wrapped up the first series of the season with a doubleheader at St. Edward’s University on Sunday. ENMU was handed a 12-0 loss in the first game of the day and an 11-6 loss in the final contest.

GAME ONE: SEU 12, ENMU 0 (7 INN.)

The Hilltoppers quickly gained the advantage in the first game of the day, tallying two runs in the second inning and four runs in the third to gain the 6-0 lead.

All runs in those innings were scored on home runs. Davis Drewek had a two-run homer, while Cullen Ainsworth hit a three-run home run.

St. Edward’s saw one more run score in the fifth inning to stretch the lead out to 7-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Hilltoppers took advantage of several walks to tally five runs on one hit to make it a 12-0 game.

The Greyhounds then saw two walks to start the top of the seventh and got a runner in scoring position to try and break the shutout. However, SEU got outs on the next three batters to end the contest.

NOTABLE STATS

• Camden Matthews paced the Eastern bats as he went 1-for-3 at the plate with a double.
• Dax Edmonds, Nyles Duren, and Spencer Roach all recorded one hit.
• Ruger Bravo made his debut as a Greyhound on the mound and was credited with the loss. He allowed six hits, five earned runs and struck out four batters in four inning of work.
• James Romero, Raiden Salas, and Reed Carter also saw time on the hill for ENMU.
• Luke Short earned the win for the Hilltoppers. He allowed just four hits while striking out seven in six innings. Braden Olsen finished out the game for St. Edward’s.

FROM THE SOURCE

“St. Edward’s hitters took advantage of mistakes, and we couldn’t string anything together offensively, leaving nine on base. Their lefty kept us off balance with a three-pitch mix and we missed a lot of fastballs in the zone that we need to take advantage of moving forward,” said head coach Riley Price.

GAME TWO: SEU 11, ENMU 6

Eastern struck first in game two with a run in the top of the second inning. Roach reached first on a single to left field before taking advantage of a passed ball to get into scoring position.

Cooper Hamilton singled to get on first. Both Roach and Hamilton stole a base to put themselves on second and third, then Braeton Matthews walked to load the bases. Roach rounded home on a sacrifice bunt from Jorge Colon to put the Hounds up 1-0.

ENMU added one more run in the top of the fourth to extend its lead to 2-0 when B. Matthews scored on a sacrifice fly from C. Matthews.

The Hilltoppers had a big fifth inning, scoring eight runs on five hits and three errors. The inning was highlighted by doubles from Stacey Bailey, Josh Graham, and Turner Olsen.

SEU stretched the advantage even more in the bottom of the sixth with three more tallies.

The Hounds attempted late rally in the top of the ninth, scoring four runs on two hits and an error. Eastern capitalized on several wild pitches, passed balls, and walks throughout the inning. Nick Schifftner’s two-RBI single was the offensive highlight of the inning.

Unfortunately, the Hilltoppers managed to get the final outs to secure the 11-6 victory and overall 3-1 series win over the weekend.

NOTABLE STATS

• Roach finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with a double. Sammy Williamson went three-for-five with a double.
• Six Greyhounds combined for 10 hits in the contest.
• Noah De La Riva got the start and loss on the mound for Eastern. He allowed 11 hits, eight runs (seven earned), and one strike out in 4.2 innings. John Martinez, Robert Nidy, and Javier Luna also saw time on the hill.
• For the Hilltoppers, Eric Worden was credited with the win.

FROM THE SOURCE

“In game two, we executed and manufactured a few runs early but missed opportunities once again, leaving 11 runners stranded. True freshman De La Riva threw four impressive shutout innings and gave us a chance to run away with the game. Defensively, we did not take care of the baseball which the other team took full advantage of and turned into two big innings.”
“This weekend we could have walked away with more than one win if we hit like we are capable of. Hitting is contagious and we need a few more guys to step up in scoring situations to get us going. If we find consistency at the plate and clean things up on defense, we will be just fine. This group is capable of special things if they play as one and continue to take strides forward. I saw a lot of good things overall. As long as we learn from the bad and make adjustments moving forward, we give ourselves a great chance for success each weekend,” Price said.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Eastern is now 1-3 overall and in Lone Star Conference action.
• St. Edward’s improves to 3-1 overall and in conference play.
• The Hilltoppers now lead the overall series, 8-1, between the two programs.
• The Greyhounds will return to Portales for their first home games of the season next weekend. ENMU and West Texas A&M University will battle it out at Greyhound Baseball Field February 11-13. First pitch on Feb. 11 is set for 4 p.m.