ACU Edges Greyhounds 5-3 and 7-6 on Opening Day of LSC South Schedule

ABILENE, TX – The Eastern New Mexico University battled with Abilene Christian University, ranked fifth in the Collegiate Baseball Poll, for two full games on Friday, Feb. 14, but the Greyhounds fell to the Wildcats, 5-3 and 7-6, on the opening day of Lone Star Conference South Division play. In the first game, ACU scored four times in the second inning for a 4-1 lead, then held off ENMU for the win. In the second game, Eastern scored five runs in the eighth inning for a 6-5 lead, but Ryan Barker of ACU hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Abilene Christian, the defending Lone Star Conference champion, improved to 9-2 overall, and started LSC South action at 2-0. ENMU fell to 3-8 overall and to 0-2 in the LSC South.

The first game of the double-header was a 7-inning contest and the second game was set for nine innings. ENMU and ACU will close out the series with another 9-inning game on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 11 a.m. (MST).

In Friday’s first game, the Greyhounds took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Dallas McMann (Sr., C, Amarillo, TX/Randall HS) doubled and Chris Hill (Sr., 2B, Boise, ID/Scottsdale CC) walked. Franco Barrero (Sr., 1B, Laredo, TX/Laredo JC) followed with a single that scored McMann from second base.

ACU countered with four runs in the second inning. Brad Massey hit a leadoff double, then scored on a homer by Clay Chesser. Arnie Gomez doubled for the Wildcats’ third hit in a row.

One out later, Gomez advanced to third on a single by Beau Bimson, but was thrown out at home when Creighton Bryan hit into a fielder’s choice. Bimson moved to second on the play, and scored on a single by Brian Johnson. Bryan tallied the fourth run on a wild pitch.

ENMU got a run back in the fourth inning, when Mark Wallace (So., CF, Alamogordo, NM/Alamogordo HS) opened the stanza with a home run. The Greyhounds cut the deficit to 5-3 with one out in the fifth inning, after Hill, Barrero and Chris VanZant (Jr., 1B, Las Vegas, NV/Victor Valley College) earned consecutive singles. Wallace drove in Hill by hitting into an error at first base. Relief pitcher Robert Newland struck out Steven Romano (Sr., 3B, Las Cruces, NM/Onate HS) and Armando Urias (Fr., OF, Taos, NM/U. of New Mexico) to end the inning.

The Wildcats added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Barker singled with one out, moved forward two bases on a single by Chris Churchill and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Chesser.

Newland faced just three ENMU batters in the sixth inning, then gave way to Justin Whitlock, who recorded his third save, while facing only three batters in the seventh. Massey, the starting pitcher for ACU, improved to 2-0 with the win.

Ian Thurman-Kelly (So., LHP, Denver, CO/Lamar CC) took the loss for ENMU. He gave up all five runs in 4 2/3 innings on the mound. Reliever Josh Sellers (Fr., RHP, Early, TX/Brownwood HS) gave up one hit in 1 1/3 innings.

McMann went 2 for 4 and Barrero went 2 for 3 for ENMU. Wallace was 1 for 3 with two RBIs. ACU received 2 hits in 3 at bats from Brian Johnson. Chesser was 1 for 2 with three RBIs.

Both teams recorded nine hits and one error during the game. Seven different players earned at lest one hit for Eastern, while eight players contributed a hit for ACU.

In the second game, Mike McDuffie (Fr., 3B, Albuquerque, NM/Sandia HS) opened the contest with a double. One out later, McMann and Hill each hit into an error, allowing McDuffie to score, as ENMU took a 1-0 lead. ACU tied the game in the second inning, when Churchill hit a single, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on an error.
The Wildcats added three runs in the third inning and one run in the sixth stanza to increase their lead to 5-1. Barker provide a sacrifice fly in the third and Bimson contributed an RBI triple in the sixth.

ENMU rallied from its four-run deficit into a 6-5 lead in the eighth. Barrero and Romano each hit a sacrifice fly during the stanza, while Urias brought in a run with a single and Justin Gee (Fr., OF, Clovis, NM/Clovis HS) hit an RBI double. Two of the five runs were unearned.

In the bottom of the ninth, ENMU relief pitcher Jesse Garcia-Perez (Fr., RHP, Laredo, TX/Alexander HS), who faced only three batters in the seventh and held ACU scoreless in the eighth, took Eastern within one out of the win. He forced Bimson to fly out to second base, gave up a single to Bryan and caused Justin Wilson to ground out to shortstop. Barker, however, followed with his game-ending two-run homer.

Aaron Lawler recorded the win for ACU with two strikeouts in one inning of work. Garcia-Perez fell to 0-2 with the loss. ENMU starter Jerry Macias (Sr., RHP, Las Cruces, NM/Las Cruces HS) gave up two earned runs (5 runs total) in six innings.

Churchill and Bimson led all players with 3 hits in 4 at bats. Barker was 1 for 4, but provided ACU with three RBIs. For Eastern, Gee was 2 for 4 with two doubles, while McDuffie and Hill each went 2 for 5 with one double. ENMU outhit ACU, 10-8, but the Greyhounds made six errors and the Wildcats were credited with three errors.