Lovington takes pair from Rams

LOVINGTON — Two errors helped Lovington take control with five runs in the second inning and Wildcats beat Portales 9-4 in the first game of a District 4-3A baseball doubleheader on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats took the second game 5-4, improving to 19-6 (7-1 district) and clinching the district title.

The Rams (15-7, 2-4) close the regular season on Friday with a 4:30 p.m. home district doubleheader against Ruidoso.

Stephen Boss earned the first-game win for the Wildcats, allowing four hits and two earned runs with two walks and 11 strikeouts. Daniel Zapata was chased in the second and took the loss for Portales, although his defense let him down a bit.

With Lovington leading 1-0 on a first-inning RBI single by Joshua Reyes, courtesy runner Mark Ybarra scored in the second on a PHS error. Zach Garcia was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Cesar Trevino hit a sacrifice fly and the final two runs scored on a dropped fly ball.

The Rams scored twice in the third, putting runners in scoring position with two outs on a Zach Blaeser double. Grant Wagner scored on a balk by Boss before Matt Martinez drove in Blaeser with a single.

Luis Carrillo's solo homer in the fourth made it 7-2, and the Wildcats got their final runs in the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Roberto Hernandez and a passed ball which scored Hernandez.

The Rams' final runs came in the seventh. Omar Legarda hit a one-out single and Zapata and Blaeser drew two-out walks to load the bases before an error brought home Legarda and Zapata.

No information was available on the second game.