Athletic Report
February 3, 2001

ST. MARY’S EDGES GREYHOUNDS, 8-7
ENMU Plays in Fourth Straight 1-Run Game
STEPHENVILLE, TX — St. Mary’s University (Texas) scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 2-run lead, then held off Eastern New Mexico University, as the Rattlers won, 8-7, at the Texan Club Shootout, Saturday, Feb. 3 in Stephenville, Texas. St. Mary’s improved to 2-1 with the victory, while ENMU dropped to 1-3 with the loss.

ENMU has started the season with four consecutive one-run games. On Friday (Feb. 2), the Greyhounds lost to New Mexico Highlands University, 2-1, and defeated LSC South foe Tarleton State University, 5-4 in 8 innings.

Earlier on Saturday, the Hounds lost to East Central University (Okla.), 10-9. St. Mary’s broke a 6-6 tie by piecing together its seventh-inning runs. Brandon Bippert began the rally with a one-out single. Two stolen bases by Bippert and a walk by David Nelson put runners at the corners. Bippert scored on a grounder by Nick Siljendahl, as Nelson moved to third base. Nelson scored when Jesse Gutierrez reached base on an outfield error.

ENMU scored once in the bottom of the inning, and had the tying run at third base when the game ended. The Hounds recorded 3 hits during the inning. Matt Brown (Sr., 1B, Napa, CA/Diablo Valley College) singled with one out. Rich Thomas (Jr., P, Albuquerque, NM/Trinidad J.C.) pinch ran for Brown, and later scored on a two-out double by Dallas McMann (So., C, Amarillo, TX/Randall H.S.).

McMann advanced to third on an infield single by David Jones (Sr., SS, Sierra Vista, AZ/Eastern Arizona). St. Mary’s got out of the inning, when pitcher Carlos Guevara struck out Matt Sulli (Jr., OF, Carlsbad, CA/ San Diego Mesa College) to end the game. The Rattlers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, and held a 6-1 advantage after 3 1/2 innings. Siljendahl doubled and Rich Davis hit a 2-RBI single in the opening stanza.

In the fourth inning, St. Mary’s added three more runs on a homer by Gutierrez. ENMU rallied with a 5-run fourth inning to the game. The Greyhounds recorded just one hit, an RBI single by Jones, but benefited from 4 walks, 2 hit batsmen and a pair of errors. Eastern sent 11 batters to the plate, with Steven Romano (So., 3B, Las Cruces, NM/Onate H.S.) receiving two walks. Romano scored once and earned one RBI.

Neither team scored in the fifth or sixth innings, setting up the dramatic finish. Guevara, 1-0, pitched the final 3 1/3 innings for St. Mary’s, and struck out 5 batters to earn the victory. Luz Leal, 0-1, who gave up just one hit on Bippert’s single through the left side in the seventh inning, received the loss. Gutierrez topped the Rattlers’ offense with 2 hits, 2 runs and 3 RBIs in 3 at bats. Davis went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, while Joseph Contreras was 2 for 3.

St. Mary’s outhit Eastern 10-7. Jones was 3 for 4 at the plate for ENMU. He scored a run and also drove in a run. Sulli, Brown and McMann each added one hit for the Greyhounds. Eastern New Mexico returns to action on Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Broken Bat Tournament in Lubbock, Texas. The Greyhounds and West Texas A&M University will represent the Lone Star Conference against Sooner Conference teams from Wayland Baptist University and Lubbock Christian University. All four teams are required to use wooden bats.

The Greyhounds’ first game of the tournament will be against WBU on Friday at 11:30 a.m. (MST). ENMU will take on host LCU later Friday at 4:30 p.m. (MST). The Hounds will play LCU and WBU again on Saturday, with the LCU contest set for 9:00 a.m. (MST) and the WBU re-match slated for 11:30 a.m. (MST).