PORTALES, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands University baseball team (2-1) returns to action Friday (Feb. 14) when it travels to Portales, N.M., to battle Eastern New Mexico (3-1). The teams will play a single game Friday and Sunday with a double header on Saturday. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m., with action beginning on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Live stats for Friday will be located
here while live stats for Saturday will be located
here (game one) and
here (game two). Sunday's live stats will be located
here. There will be no video or audio.
"We are looking forward to playing a very good Eastern New Mexico team this weekend," head coach
Steve Jones explained. "The weather looks like it will be very good and it will give us an opportunity to see how this club responds on the road. It will be a very good gauge on where we are at against a very strong regional club.
Last Weekend for the Cowboys
After dropping their first game of the season Sunday (Feb. 9) by an 18-8 score, the Cowboys rebounded with two very different wins to close out the three-game series against Lubbock Christian. In game two on Sunday, Highlands used aggressive base running to score a trio of runs in the bottom of the second and held on for a 3-2 win. With one out, redshirt junior
Matthew Chavez singled, stole second and scored on junior
Mike Sordia's RBI double. A single put men on the corners before a double steal scored Sordia.
The Cowboys capped the inning with even more aggressive base running when junior
Nick Gonzales singled to second base and senior
Tyler Hayes did not stop at third and scored on the play.
Senior
Daniel Clark got the win on the mound for Highlands, giving up no runs on six hits and two walks in five innings.
Cody Brown surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but that was it as he recorded his first save of 2014.
To read more about the double header split against Lubbock Christian, click
here.
In the rubber game, the Cowboys erupted offensively for 18 runs for an 18-6 win over the Chaps. Chavez and senior
Jordan Goliat both had three hits as every player who batted reached base safely and 10-of-11 with plate appearances scored a run. Goliat provided the exclamation point on the afternoon with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth.
To read more about the 18-6 win over Lubbock Christian, click
here.
Scouting the Cowboys
After spotting Lubbock Christian 16 runs in the first game of the series last weekend, Highlands outscored the visitors 29-10. In fact, in the eighth and ninth inning this season, the Cowboys are outscoring their opponents 13-0.
After only going 1-for-3 in his first game of the year, senior
Jordan Goliat exploded in the Cowboys last game, finishing a triple short of the cycle in five at-bats. He also had four RBI's and two runs in the game, hitting his first collegiate home run in the bottom of the eighth on the first pitch he saw. Finishing 2013 second on the team in batting average, Goliat is currently 4-for-8 (.500) so far this season.
Redshirt junior
Matthew Chavez is off to a blazing start for the Cowboys, hitting 7-for-9 from the plate in three games. In fact, he has at least multiple hits in all three games against Lubbock Christian. In the series finale against the Chaps, Chavez went 3-for-4 – adding a walk to reach safely in his first four plate appearances – with a run scored and an RBI.
Chavez has scored a run in every game this season. For his success this past weekend, he was named the inaugural 2014 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Week. To read more, click
here.
But as potent as the offense has been (27 runs in the last 18 plays), the defense has also shown through. The Cowboys have turned seven double plays on the season. They fittingly enough closed out the series against Lubbock Christian with a 5-4-3 twin killing.
The biggest defensive stand may have come in the top of the third in game two against the Chaps. With runners on second and third and no outs, Lubbock Christian was thrown out at the plate on a grounder to third. With men on the corners and the Chaps' hitter facing a 2-0 count, senior
Daniel Clark enticed the hitter to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.
Scouting Eastern New Mexico
It will be the battle of teams who had a player named their respective conferences Player of the Week. Sean Hedrick, who batted .500 (6-for-12) with a double, triple, four runs scored and three RBI's against Adams State, was named the Lone Star Conference Player of the Week on Monday (Feb. 12).
The Highlands offense may face a stiff test this weekend at Eastern New Mexico (3-1) only gave up 12 runs in 32 innings this past weekend (3.38 ERA) against Adams State. That means the Cowboys scored six more runs in the last eight innings (18) than the Greyhounds gave up total (12). However, it should be noted that Eastern New Mexico did give up six runs in the series finale in a 6-2 loss to Adams State on Sunday (Feb. 9).
Matthew Artalejo gave up only one run and five hits in six inning pitched. However, Eastern New Mexico only scored one run while he was pitching so he did not receive the decision on Saturday's 2-1 win. Ben Monticello is 1-0, giving up two runs on eight hits in seven innings pitched.
Next Up
The New Mexico Highlands baseball team plays in its final non-conference series of the year next weekend when it takes on West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. First pitch on Feb. 21 is scheduled for 2 p.m.
