ALAMOSA, Colo. - If you are going to break an 11-game road losing streak, what a way (and time) to do it.
The Cowboys moved into fourth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference by themselves as New Mexico Highlands (17-18, 11-14 RMAC) blasted Adams State (14-24, 10-15 RMAC) 13-5 Friday afternoon (April 17).
It started from the first inning, when the first two batters reached and fifth-year senior
Matthew Chavez blasted the 2-2 pitch to left center for his second home run in as many at-bats and his sixth of the season. Senior
Morgan McCasland then singled and fifth-year senior
Omar Garcia walked before senior
Colby Wilmer singled as Highlands led 4-0 before Adams State even stepped to the plate.
Senior
Andrew Ratterman added a two-run home run and was a triple short of the cycle, going 4-for-6 with four RBI's and three runs scored. Wilmer went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Every starter for the Cowboys had a hit in the game, including five of which who had multiple hits.
Sophomore
Phil Trujillo improved to 4-2 on the season, allowing six hits and two runs in 5.1 innings pitched.
After still leading 4-0 after three innings, Highlands exploded for nine runs in the next four innings. The fourth saw RBI singles by Ratterman and then Gonzales with two outs. Gonzales has reached base safely in the last four games, a season-high for the Cowboys in 2015. The two runs were scored in the fifth when McCasland singled and advanced to third on a ground-rule double by senior
Joe Cervantes. Ratterman hit his fourth home run of the season in the sixth with a runner on base.
With two on and two out in the seventh, Stanton tripled to left center and scored on Ratterman's double to put the Cowboys up 13-2.
Adams State got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Thurston singled and scored on Dillon Bollig's double. An infield single by Zach Moldenhauer brought the home team within 10-2. A wild pitch scored another Adams State run in the seventh before scoring two more in the eighth. With two outs, Tyler Bybee walked and scored Jerid Huggins double. Huggins scored on Jake Heaton's RBI single.
Huggins went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Jeffrey Schmitt took the loss for Adams State, falling to 2-4 by giving up nine hits and six runs in 3.2 innings pitched.
The Cowboys and Grizzlies return to action tomorrow for a doubleheader of seven-inning games beginning at noon.
