DENVER - The Cowboys won a thriller, 4-2, in the first game of the day, but walks came back to haunt the visitors in an 8-1 loss to the Rangers in game two as New Mexico Highlands (20-24, 14-20 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) split with Regis (19-29, 13-23 RMAC) Friday afternoon (May 1).
With the split and Adams State splitting against CSU-Pueblo, the Cowboys have been officially elimnated from conference tournament contention.
Tied at two after five innings of game one, the Cowboys managed a single run in the sixth and seventh for the victory. The go-ahead run came when senior
Morgan McCasland and
Joe Cervantes singled to put men on the corners. Classmate
Omar Garcia grounded into a double play, but Mccasland scored. In the seventh, junior
Kenneth Fudge singled and senior
Andrew Ratterman walked to put a pair on with one out. Senior
EJ Stanton singled in Fudge to push the advantage to two.
Combined with a hit in game two, Stanton now has a 15-game hitting streak.
McCasland went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Stanton added two hits and two RBI's. Senior
Anthony Badalucco went 8.1 innings, allowing seven hits and and two runs to improve to 5-4 on the year. Freshman
Mike Chavez came into the game in the bottom of the ninth, getting a double play on only three pitches to record his first save of the season.
Highlands also got a run in the first and in the fifth. Ratterman was hit by a pitch to leadoff the game, was sacrificed to second, advanced to third on a ground out and score on McCasland's RBI single. In the fifth, junior
Jesus Caporal led off the inning with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on Stanton's single.
Regis looked like it might blow the game open when it loaded the bases with one out in the third, but it could only manage one run. With the bases juiced, a balk was called on Highlands to score a run. However, Badalucco got a strikeout and flyout to end the threat. On his only hit of the day, Drew LaComb provided an RBI single in the fifth to briefly tie the game.
Andrew Bryniarski had two hits for the home team while KIrby Schwein (2-4) allowed nine hits and four runs in 6.1 innings pitched.
Game two saw the Rangers bust out to a 7-0 lead and win 8-1. The lone Highlands run came in the sixth with two outs when Ratterman and Stanton hit back-to-back doubles. Sophomore
Phil Trujillo (4-4) took the loss, allowing four hits, six walks and three runs in four innings of work.
With the game scoreless going into the fourth, Regis exploded for a trio of runs. With one out, Ryan Benedict and Connor Rochon singled with Mickey Meinhofer walking to load the bases. John Flint added a two-RBI single and a walk to both CJ McGrady and LaComb gave the home team all the runs it needed.
Benedict finished the game 2-for-2 with three runs scored. Noah Gotsis picked up his first win in five decisions, allowing five hits and a run in the complete-game win.
The Cowboys conclude the regular season Saturday (May 2) with a pair of games against the Rangers. The first game of the day begins at noon.
