Athletic Report
March 15, 2002

GREYHOUNDS MANAGE JUST 5 HITS
AS BUFFALOES WIN SERIES OPENER 6-2
PORTALES, NM – Sophomore pitcher Raymond Bergara of West Texas A&M University threw a complete-game 5-hitter to lead the Buffaloes to a 6-2 Lone Star Conference victory over Eastern New Mexico University, March 15 at Greyhound Field. The win improved the Buffs to 17-6, including 6-3 in the LSC South. ENMU dropped to 8-17, 5-5 in the LSC South.

Eastern and WTAMU will play two 7-inning games on Saturday, March 16, to complete the 3-game. First pitch in the opening game is set for 12:00 noon (MST). The Greyhounds must win both games to overtake West Texas for second place in the LSC South, as the season reaches the midway point of the conference schedule.

On Friday, Bergara limited the Greyhounds to three singles, two doubles and a homer. He struck out 8 batters and gave up 3 walks. He also hit two batters, and threw all 9 innings for the Buffs. He upped his record to 2-0. ENMU starter Stan Phelps, gave up 4 runs and 4 hits in 5 innings, as his win-loss record dropped to 0-3.

WTAMU took an early lead in the first stanza. Keaton Fails was hit by a pitch, Brian Evans walked an Nick Williams was hit by a pitch, as the Buffaloes loaded the bases with no outs. Phelps prevented a big inning, however, as a strikeout and two line drive outs resulted in the Buffs tallying just one run.

Eastern tied the game in the bottom of the first, when freshman center fielder Mark Wallace (Alamogordo, NM/Alamogordo H.S.) was hit by a pitch and later scored. Chris Hill (Jr., 2B, Boise, ID/Scottsdale C.C.) drove in Wallace with a one out double to left center. Back-to-back ground outs by Dallas McMann (Jr., C/DH, Amarillo, TX/Randall H.S.) and Franco Barrero (Jr., RF/1B, Laredo, TX/Laredo J.C.) ended the inning.

Both teams scored again in the second inning, as WTAMU plated two runs and the Hounds score one run. Bill Potts opened the top of the stanza with a walk. Two fly outs and another walk later, Evans hit a double down the right field line to score Potts with the go-ahead run. Fails, who reached third on the hit by Evans, scored later on a wild pitch. Ryan Dickson (Sr., 1B/DH, Trail, BC/Big Bend C.C.) blasted a solo homer to right
center to lead off the bottom of the inning.

In the third stanza, WTAMU increased its lead to 3-1. Ben Hangartner provided the only run of the inning with a solo homer to left field. It was his sixth home run of the year. After scoring in each of the first two innings, Eastern New Mexico did not score the rest of the game.

West Texas A&M added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning, as Williams and Micah Ladd scored. A single up the middle by Williams, plus a pair of bloop hits by Ladd and Hangartner, produced the first run. Bill Potts drove in Ladd with the other run on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Hangartner led WTAMU with 3 hits in 4 at bats. He scored a run and recorded 3 RBIs. Williams was 2 for 3 with a run scored, and Bryant Cook was 2 for 4. WTAMU finished with 9 hits, including three for extra-bases.

Five Greyhounds had one hit apiece against the Buffs, led by Dickson's homer and doubles by Hill and Matt Sulli (Sr., OF, Carlsbad, CA/San Diego Mesa College). ENMU recorded only three hits over the final seven innings. McMann, who went 1 for 4 in the game, has 24 hits in his last 37 at bats (.649).