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Box Score 2 LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The New Mexico Highlands University baseball team (1-1) lost an offensive slugfest before winning a pitching duel against Lubbock Christian (3-2) in a double header Sunday afternoon (Feb. 9) at Brandt Fields. The Cowboys fell 18-8 in game one before closing out a 3-2 victory in game two against the Chaparrals.
After a scoreless first inning in game two, Highlands used hustle plays to put up a three spot. With one down, redshirt junior
Matthew Chavez singled and swiped second on the first pitch. Junior
Mike Sordia followed with an RBI double to give the Cowboys its first lead of the season. After a senior
Tyler Hayes single put men on the corners, a double steal plated Highlands second run.
Junior
Nick Gonzales capped the inning when he hit a sinking liner to second. He beat the throw to first and Hayes hustled around third and touched home ahead of the throw as Highlands took the 3-0 lead.
Gonzales led the Cowboys with a single and double in as many at-bats in game two with an RBI. Sordia added an RBI double in two at-bats while Chavez went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Dazzling defense kept the Chaps off the board in the top of the third. Lubbock Christian put men on the corners with no outs before Wade Stamp stole second. Hunter McFall grounded sharply to third, but Highland's senior
Justin Rodriguez made the pick on a hop and made the throw home ahead of the base runner. Senior catcher
Cole Davis applied the tag and held on to the ball to keep Lubbock Christian off the board.
The Chaps still had runners on the corners with one out, but Highlands senior starting pitcher
Daniel Clark got Lubbock Christian's Brandon Wilson to ground into the inning ending 6-4-3 twin killing.
Clark (1-0) got the win in his first appearance of the year, allowing no runs on six hits and two walks in five innings pitched.
The Cowboys held on to the 3-0 advantage until the top of the seventh. The first three batters reached, and combined with a balk by Highlands junior closer
Cody Brown, The Chaps scored a run and had the tying run at first and second. Tim Rainey got another run home on a bunt as the Cowboys held a slim 3-2 with the tying run on second for the visitors.
Brown held, forcing a Stamp ground out and a McFall line out to center field for his first save of the season in as many tries.
Jesse Pintado paced the visitors in game two with two singles and a run scored in three at-bats. Tim Carlson fell to 0-1 on the mound for the Chaps, allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out two and walking one in five innings pitched.
In game one, the visitors used four home runs en route to scoring the games' first 16 runs in an 18-8 win.
After Lubbock Christian scored a single tally in the first two innings, Wigberto Nevarez broke the game open with a three run home run to plate three unearned runs. Brandon Wilson added a three-run shot in the fourth as the Chaps scored four runs and led 9-0.
Leading Lubbock Christian in game one, Wilson went 3-4 from the plate with four RBI's and a trio of runs scored in game one.
Lubbock Christian led 16-0 in the bottom of the seventh when junior
Morgan McCasland homered to left center to plate the first Cowboys run of the year. McCasland finished the day 2-3 from the plate with two RBI's and a run scored, adding a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
New Mexico Highlands returns to action tomorrow (Feb. 10) at 1 p.m. in the rubber match of the series against Lubbock Christian.
