LAS VEGAS, N.M. - If you like the long ball, these were the games for you.
Fifth-year senior Omar Garcia and senior Joe Cervantes played "anything you can do, I can do better" with the team's home run lead while senior Morgan McCasland hit his third home run in as many games as New Mexico Highlands (12-13, 6-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) picked up a 7-6 (eight innings) win and game one and an 11-2 victory in game two to sweep Colorado School of Mines (9-13, 4-11 RMAC) Saturday afternoon (March 28).
Tied at six in the bottom of the eighth of game one (seven-inning contest), Cervantes unloaded on the first pitch he saw, guiding the ball to right center. It was Highlands fourth walk-off victory this season, all coming in the last six home wins.
In game two, the Cowboys scored three runs in the first and five unearned runs in the second to open an 8-0 advantage en route to the nine-run win. McCasland capped the second with a three-run home run to left and Cervantes led off the fourth with his team-leading sixth round tripper of the season.
Garcia led the Cowboys with six hits in seven at-bats with three doubles, his fifth home run of the season to breifly take the team lead, seven RBI's and a run scored on the day. Cervantes went 2-for-4 with four runs, four RBI's and two home runs. McCasland picked up his first collegiate win of his career in game one, allowing three hits and one earned run in two innings of work. Senior Anthony Badalucco (2-3) picked up the win in game two, allowing seven hits and two runs in six innings of work.
Things looked ominous in game one as Colorado School of Mines came out and scored four runs in the top of the second. Conner Lambert and Shane Johnson led off the inning with singles before a double by Kyle Alexander plated one and put a pair in scoring position. Travis Ramos added a sacrifice fly, Cody Marvel added an RBI single and went to second on the throw home and Logan Smith singled in Marvel for the 4-0 lead.
The Orediggers were held to four innings of single tallies the rest of the day.
Marvel led the visitors, going 5-for-8 with a double. Alexander went 4-for-5. Nathan Smythe (0-3) was the loser in relief of game one, allowing one run on two hits in 2+ innings. Nate Olinger (3-2) only survived three innings in game two, allowing 13 hits and 10 runs (five earned).
After the Cowboys fell behind 4-0 in game one, a two-run home run in the bottom of the second by Garcia cut the deficit in half. Colorado School of Mines got one back in the top of the fourth, but the Cowboys put up their own four-spot to take a 6-5 lead. Senior Nick Gonzales singled to shortstop, but the throw to first was wide as Gonzales took second. Fifth-year senior Matthew Chavez singled to put men on the corners before Cervantes singled through the right side, advancing to second when the Orediggers tried to catch Chavez at third. Garcia tied the ballgame with a double, advanced to third on a bunt single and a sacrifice fly by junior Kenneth Fudge gave Highlands the 6-5 advantage.
The Orediggers added a single run in the top of the seventh and both teams had the winning run stranded at third the next inning. However, Cervantes ended the extra-inning marathon with the blast on the first pitch he saw in the eighth.
Game two saw senior Andrew Ratterman and Gonzales single to begin the game and advance into scoring position on a ground out. A Cervantes sacrifice fly, a Garcia RBI double and a junior Jesus Caporal RBI hit put the Cowboys up 3-0 after one. In the second, EJ Stanton reached on an error, was sacrificed to second and scored on Gonzales' single. Gonzales advanced to third on Chavez's single and scored on Garcia's single. McCasland added the three-run home run to cap the inning.
The Cowboys look to complete the weekend sweep of the Orediggers Sunday (March 29) at noon.
