Cowboys edged twice by #10 West Texas A&M on opening day

LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- The New Mexico Highlands baseball team was right there to take one – if not both – games off 10th-ranked West Texas A&M in their season openers at home Friday, but dropped both games 6-5 and 4-2 at Brandt Field.
 
In game one, the Cowboys (0-2) were up 4-2 on the Buffaloes (2-0) after a two-run fifth inning that was highlighted by a Justin DeHoog RBI groundout and a two-out RBI single by Carlos Ramirez after Joe Cilladi and Garrett Hammer each singled to get the rally going.
 
NMHU starter Kyle Bedsole was going strong at that point until West Texas A&M put up four runs in the top of the seventh – capped by a two-run homer from Darius Carter to make it 6-4.
 
The Cowboys got one back in the bottom of the inning when Hammer led off the frame with a double to left and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-5. But the Cowboys couldn't get a hit in the final two innings and dropped the season opener.
 
Jared Brown finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run, Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI while Hammer finished 2-for-5 with a double and two runs. Bedsole picked up the loss, going 6.2 innings and giving up six runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts and two hit batters.
 
In game two, the Cowboys found themselves down 1-0 in the second and 2-1 in the third – only to get game-tying homers from Gaylan Young (second inning) and Auggie Francis (third inning) to tie the game at 2-2.
 
The score remained that way until the seventh inning as NMHU left-hander James Janco was strong on the bump – holding the Buffs to just two runs. But West Texas A&M got the lead-off runner on before Christian Loya (who had three of the four Buffs RBI) hit a two-run shot down the right field line to make it 4-2 as the Cowboys couldn't come up with an answer in the bottom of the inning of the seven-inning contest.
 
Franco got the loss, 6.1 innings and giving up four runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and four walks. Young finished 2-for-3 with a home run.
 
The Cowboys and Buffs play another doubleheader at Brandt Field starting 11:30 a.m. Saturday.