Athletic Report
April 16, 2002

CHRIS HILL GOES 3 FOR 4 WITH 2 RBIs AS ENMU DEFEATS HIGHLANDS, 7-5
PORTALES, NM – Chris Hill (Jr., 2B, Boise, ID/Scottsdale C.C.) went 3 for 4 at the plate and drove in two runs, as Eastern New Mexico University defeated in-state rival New Mexico Highlands University, 7-5, at Greyhound Field, April 16. With the win, ENMU evened the season series between the Greyhounds and the Cowboys at two games apiece. Eastern also improved to 18-26 overall, while NHHU fell to 17-26 on the season.

Hill gave Eastern its first lead of the game with a single in the second inning. His hit brought in Ryan Dickson for a 2-1 advantage. Later in the game, Hill tripled and drove in a run in the sixth inning and singled in the eighth. His only unsuccessful at bat occurred in the fourth inning, when he hit a fly ball to shortstop. Neither team scored in the first inning, but NMHU broke the ice with a run in the top of the second.

Brett Powell singled and advanced to third when Matt Planeta followed with another single. Powell scored when Chris Wainhouse hit into a double play. Paul Hill also singled, but was left at first base when Nick Royle struck out. ENMU tied the game, 1-1, when Xarin Escobedo (Sr., SS, Mexico City, MEX/El Paso C.C.) singled down the right field line to open the bottom half of the second inning, then scored on a double by Ryan Dickson (Sr., DH/1B, Trail, BC/Big Bend C.C.) Dickson scored on Hill’s first hit of the game.

The Cowboys tied the game in the third inning, only to have ENMU pull in front, 4-2, in the bottom of the stanza. Richard Rodriguez led off the NMHU half of the inning with a triple. He scored on a single by Lucas Hastings. Dallas McMann (Jr., C, Amarillo, TX/Randall H.S.) singled for ENMU with one out in the Hounds’s half of the inning. He scored on a double to the center field fence by Franco Barrero (Jr., 1B/DH, Laredo, TX/Laredo J.C.).

Two errors by Highlands allowed Escobedo and Dickson to reach base, and helped bring Barrero home. Four consecutive scoreless innings followed for the Cowboys, as ENMU took control of the game.Eastern added two insurance runs in the sixth inning and plated another run in the seventh.

Both of Eastern’s runs in the sixth came with two outs, as Steven Romano (Jr., 3B, Las Cruces, NM/Onate H.S.) and Hill recorded back-to-back triples, and Matt Sulli (Sr., OF, Carlsbad, CA/San Diego Mesa College) singled to right center. In the seventh, McMann was hit by a pitch with one out, used two passed balls to advance to second and third, and scored on Escobedo’s double down the left field line. New Mexico Highlands pushed across a run in the eighth inning when Matt Planeta tripled, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Wainhouse.

The Cowboys made the score even closer with two runs in the ninth, but Hill, Escobedo and Barrero combined on a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to preserve the win. Planeta, who hit into the double play, arrived at the plate with the tying runs at first and second.

Jerry Macias (Jr., RHP, Las Cruces, NM/Las Cruces H.S.), the third of seven ENMU pitchers, and one of six hurlers to toss an inning apiece, was credited with the victory. He gave up just one hit and no walks, while throwing the fifth inning for the Greyhounds. Macias improved to 1-6 on the season.

NMHU’s Eddie Neville, the second of six pitchers for the Cowboys, took the loss and dropped to 0-4, after allowing two runs (one earned) in the third inning. Hill’s three hits led the Greyhounds, while Escobedo was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI. Five ENMU players each registered one hit. Planeta was 3 for 5 with a run scored for NMHU. Four players supplied two hits apiece, helping the Cowboys claim a 13-10 edge in hits during the game.

The Greyhounds will remain at home on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, when they conclude the season by taking on Tarleton State University in a 3-game Lone Star Conference South Division series. The teams will play two games on Friday, starting at 2:00 p.m. (MDT), and will complete the series with one 9-inning game on Saturday at 12:00 noon (MDT).