LUBBOCK, Texas – The Cowboys continued its offensive onslaught to begin the season on Saturday (Feb. 7), but New Mexico Highlands (1-2) earned a split on the day against Lubbock Christian (5-1), losing the first game 12-11 before winning the nightcap, 18-8.
The Cowboys had four home runs on the day, including two in back-to-back innings in the middle of the game by senior
Andrew Ratterman. Classmate
EJ Stanton went 5-for- 8 with a triple, four runs scored and an RBI. Behind the plate, Stanton threw out both runners who tried to steal. Senior
Joe Cervantes blasted a grand slam in game one.
Senior
Zach Settles (0-1) allowed two runs in an inning pitched to allow the walkoff win in game one while redshirt freshman
Curtis Hynes (1-0) took the win in game two, allowing eight runs and 14 hits in 4.1 innings pitched. Senior
Anthony Badalucco (1) picked up the save by striking out five and giving up no hits in 3.2 innings.
Game two saw the Cowboys jump out to a 10-2 lead and hold on for the 18-8 win. Both teams scored a pair of runs in the first, but Highlands blew the game open by scoring 16 runs in the final five innings. Ratterman – who only had three home runs in all of 2014 – had a two-run shot in the fourth inning before adding a three-run dinger in the fifth. Also in the eight-run fifth, senior
Colby Wilmer added a two-RBI double.
Lubbock Christian scored six runs off Hynes in the bottom of the fifth, but Badalucco got out of the jam by recording the final two outs and picked up the save by allowing only two walks while striking out five in the final 3.2 innings. In the top of the eighth, senior
Nick Gonzales had a sacrifice fly and Cervantes had an RBI double.
The Chaps had one big inning in the second game, scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Shane Crawford led off the inning with a double and scored on Hunter McFall's single. Niko Velarde followed with a home run. After a double and single put people on the corners, Josh Powe singled in a run and Brett Wilhelm hit a double to score a pair of runs. Badalucco then came in in relief and got a pair of groundouts to end the threat.
In the first game, the Cowboys jumped out to 7-0 and 10-2 leads before the Chaps rallied for a walkoff win in the bottom of the seventh. After a scoreless first, Cervantes singled up the middle and fifth-year senior
Omar Garcia doubled to put a pair in scoring position. Junior
Kenneth Fudge singled in a pair of runs to open the scoring. In the third, the Cowboys loaded the bases with one out before Cervantes hit the 2-1 pitch out of to right field – the first grand slam in a year for the Cowboys, who ironically also hit it off of Lubbock Christian. The Cowboys took advantage of an error to score the fifth run.
Lubbock Christian rallied within 11-10 before scoring a pair in the bottom of the seventh for the win. Wilhelm singled and was sacrificed to second. Crawford then doubled in the game-tying run. A dropped fly ball and a walk loaded the bases before Brendan McCarthy singled in the winning run.
New Mexico Highlands opens up hope play next weekend with a four game series against Eastern New Mexico. The first game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 13).
