LAS VEGAS, N.M. ---Â The New Mexico Highlands baseball team closes out the season with a four-game series at Adams State starting 3 p.m. Thursday at ASU Baseball Field.
The Cowboys are coming off dropping three of four from CSU-Pueblo and were eliminated from postseason contention. NMHU's one victory came Saturday thanks to a strong performance on the mound from
J.T. Mossberg as the junior tossed a complete game, giving up two earned runs on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Since joining the starting rotation for the Cowboys five weeks ago, NMHU is 4-1 in his starts - including winning his previous four starts.
At the plate for the Cowboys,
Auggie Francis still has an outside shot at the RMAC batting title after hitting .500 last weekend (7-for-14) to increase his average to .416. The senior sits behind only MSU-Denver's Matt Malkin's average of .425. Francis - who was named the RMAC All-Academic Player of the Year last week - leads the conference in hits (72) and triples (6) while also ranking in the RMAC top 10 in batting average (.416), slugging percentage (.699 - 6th), on-base percentage (.507 - 2nd), runs scored (59 - 3rd), home runs (9 - 9th), hit by pitch (12) and stolen bases (17 - 3rd).
Adams State has dropped six games in a row heading into this weekend - including all four on the road to Regis last weekend (giving up 20-plus runs in each of the last two games). As a team, there is a 100-point difference in batting average (.264) and batting average allowed (.364) this season as the ASU pitching staff has an ERA of 11.24 ERA.
The Grizzlies are led at the plate by Jaredy Gay and Nico Nintze. Gay is hitting .352 with nine homers, 40 RBI, seven doubles and three triples while Nintze is hitting .348 with eight homers, 32 RBI, 10 doubles and four triples as no other ASU regular is hitting above .300 on the season.
