LAS VEGAS, N.M. – For anyone who has seen the Cowboys baseball team this season, they know about their powerful offense. However on Sunday (Feb. 15), they showed they can also manufacture runs if need be.
New Mexico Highlands (4-3) had three sacrifice flies and had more runs (10) than hits (8) in a 10-8 win against rival Eastern New Mexico (3-4) to clinch the 3-1 series win at Brandt Fields in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Fifth-year senior
Matthew Chavez had a monster day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a single, double and home run with three runs scored and three RBIs and two walks. The Cowboys put Eastern New Mexico in the hole early with four runs in the first three innings. Senior
Andrew Ratterman walked to leadoff the game and advanced to second on a groundout to the right side. Chavez followed with a double to put Highlands on the board. In the second, fifth-year senior
Omar Garcia doubled to leadoff and advanced to third on another groundout to the right side. Junior
Jesus Caporal and senior
Colby Wilmer walked to load the bases before a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Ratterman put the Cowboys up 3-0. In the fourth, two walks and a hit by pitch led to junior
Kenneth Fudge's sacrifice fly that quickly put the Cowboys up 4-0 despite only having two hits.
Fudge went 1-for-3 on the day with three RBIs and one run scored. Ratterman was 0-for-2, but did have a pair of RBIs on two sacrifice flies. Junior
Curtis Hynes improved to 2-0 on the season, retiring the side in order in the first three innings before surrendering five runs (four earned) with seven strikeouts in six innings of work.
Senior
Zach Settles picked up his first save of the season, throwing the final three innings.
After the Greyhounds bounced back to take a 5-4 lead after five innings, the Cowboys responded by scoring a pair in each of their final three at-bats. With a runner at first with one out, Caporal hit a ball off the end of the bat that fell in left center to put runners on first and second. Wilmer followed with a seeing-eye single back up the middle that scored the run from second. But the Greyhounds attempted to gun Caporal down at third so Wilmer advanced to second on the throw. Ratterman followed with another sacrifice fly to give the Cowboys the lead and put Hynes in line for the win.
Fudge added a two run double in the seventh with two outs while Chavez went yard to left with a runner on in the eighth for his second home run of the season.
Highlands needed the insurance runs as Eastern New Mexico brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Settles got a flyout to end the game.
The Greyhounds scored five runs in the middle innings to fight back for a lead in the game. In the fourth, Daniel Ward grounded into a bases loaded fielder's choice for an RBI and Dylan Nault added a two run single. In the fifth, Keenan Dodd and Charles Sandberg both doubled to tie the game. However, Sandberg stole third and scored on a throwing error.
In the ninth with two on and one out, Dodd doubled to center again to score a run and put a pair in scoring position. Sandberg followed with his third double of the game that drove in a pair and brought the tying run to the plate. However, Settles induced a flyout to right on a 2-0 count to end the game.
The Cowboys continue their 11-game home stand Friday (Feb. 20) when they welcome West Texas A&M. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m.
