Hounds shut out NAIA No. 16 Chaps 3-0

The red-hot Eastern New Mexico University bats were cooled just a bit Tuesday, but the Greyhounds made an early rally stand up.

Right-handers Brett Humphries (2-0), Ryan Pruitt and Ryan Boydstun combined on a three-hitter and Peter Creamer, Colton Sims and Jacob Rogers delivered consecutive RBI singles in the bottom of the first inning as the Hounds blanked NAIA 16th-ranked Lubbock Christian 3-0 at Greyhound Field.

The Hounds (8-1) collected 10 hits off three Chaparrals pitchers, but stranded eight runners. Meantime, LCU left a dozen runners on base as the ENMU mound trio survived seven walks and three hit batsmen with the help of two double plays — including one in the top of the fifth on a bases-loaded appeal play.

With one out in the inning, LCU's Brett Kauten hit what appeared to be a sacrifice fly to left field, but the Hounds appealed that Chaps runner Brent Leslie left third base too soon. They won the appeal and kept the shutout — and, to that point, a no-hitter — intact.

Humphries was relieved after walking LCU's Joel Lutz to open the sixth. Pruitt eventually issued a walk and hit a batter, loading the bases with two outs, but escaped by getting Leslie on a swinging third strike.

Kauten finally broke up the no-hitter with a two-out single to center in the seventh. The Chaps (9-3) got a single in each of the final two innings, but Boydstun worked around a two-out hit in the ninth to earn his first save.

ENMU, averaging more than 11 runs a game and batting .440 as a team coming in, collected five hits off LCU's Logan Burch (1-1) in the first inning. Colton Sims singled with one out, took second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a single by Daniel Binz, and scored on Creamer's hit-and-run single through the right side, sending Binz to third.

Crenshaw and Rogers followed with run-scoring singles to left. Both advanced on a groundout, but Burch escaped by getting Rafael Romo on strikes.

Crenshaw, the Lone Star Conference co-hitter of the week, went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .655 (19-for-29). Creamer, who had two hits, and Sims, who went 1-for-4, are both hitting .600.

Despite the 10 hits, ENMU's team average dropped 14 points.