LAS VEGAS, N.M. – If you are a fan of pitching, then Saturday in the brisk weather of Brandt Park was a dream.
Redshirt freshman
Curtis Hynes threw all 10 innings for the win and the Cowboys scored single tallies in the ninth and 10th as New Mexico Highlands (6-4) rallied past #10 West Texas A&M (8-4) 2-1 (10 innings) Saturday afternoon (Feb. 21) in Las Vegas, N.M.
Hynes retired the Buffs in order (thanks in part to a double play in the second) in six of the 10 innings of the game to improve to a team-best 3-0. He only allowed four hits and an unearned run on 109 pitches on the day with one hit by pitch and no walks on four strikeouts. In fact, in innings 4-8, Hynes only allowed a hit by pitch.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's leading hitter came through as fifth-year senior
Matthew Chavez blasted a double to the left center gap on a 1-2 count. After a strikeout and a hit by pitch, a lineout put Highlands down to its final out. Facing a 2-1 count, junior
Kenneth Fudge hit a liner to center that just fell in and scored pinch runner
John Jensen. The Cowboys grounded out to end the ninth.
Going to extras, Hynes gave up a single to begin the top of the 10th. However, three groundouts ended the Buffs threat.
In the bottom of the 10th, West Texas A&M handed the ball to yesterday's closer, Kyle Olason. He only lasted six pitches, none which were anywhere near the zone as senior
Colby Wilmer walked and represented the go-ahead run. After senior
Andrew Ratterman sacrificed Wilmer to second, the first sacrifice of the season for the Cowboys, Gonzales hit the 0-1 pitch to the left center gap to send the home crowd home happy.
With two hits on the day, Chavez is hitting .579 for the season, is on an eight-game hitting streak and has multiple hits in 8-of-10 games this season. Wilmer went 1-for-3 and scored the game-tying run.
The lone run for the visitors came in the top of the third after Hynes got the first two outs of the inning. Ryan March doubled to right center and scored on Chavez's error. The Buffs threatened to score an insurance run in the ninth when Matt Cole doubled to lead off the frame and advanced to third on a groundout. However, Hynes recorded a huge swinging strikeout and a flyout to left on the first pitch kept the Cowboys deficit to one.
Brooks Trujillo toed the rubber for West Texas A&M, allowing four hits and one earned run in 8+ innings of work and 115 pitches. Olason fell to 2-2, allowing the walk that scored the eventual winning run.
Highlands closes its 11-game homestand next weekend (Feb. 27-March 1) when the Cowboys open up RMAC play against Adams State. First pitch on Friday is set for 2 p.m. Stay logged in to NMHUcowboys.com as threatening weather is expected in the Las Vegas area.
