Dustdevils beat Hounds for first win of season

LAREDO, Texas – Senior shortstop Isaac Gonzales led off a four-run fifth with a game-tying home run and Texas A&M International went on to notch its first win of the season by beating Eastern New Mexico University 8-5 in the opener of a four-game Lone Star Conference baseball series on Friday afternoon.

Junior third baseman Abiam Medina led a 13-hit attack for International (1-5, 1-4 LSC), going 3-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk, two runs scored and three runs batted in.

ENMU (2-3, 2-3), coming off a four-game split with top-ranked Angelo State at Greyhound Field last weekend to open the season, got two solo homers from senior right fielder Cooper Hamilton and a two-run shot from junior center fielder Tucker Gideon. But the Greyhounds managed only one other hit off three International hurlers.

Senior right-hander Isaac Ponce (1-0) went seven strong innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. Junior left-hander R.J. Patrick worked a 1-2-3 ninth to notch a save.

Hamilton’s two-out homer staked the Hounds to a quick lead in the top of the first, and they made it 2-0 in the second on a Dustdevils error. But with the bases loaded and one out, Ponce got Gideon on a called third strike and retired junior second baseman Demetrio Archuleta on a fly ball to right.

Freshman right fielder Joshua Benitez hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the inning to cut the margin in half. Then after Gonzalez homered in the fifth, Gutierrez and Medina drew one-out walks before Cervantes drove in Gutierrez with an infield single near second.

After a hit batsman loaded the bases, senior catcher Nick Chavez followed with a sacrifice fly and senior first baseman Daniel Quiroz delivered an RBI single. Medina added a two-run single in the seventh.

Gideon followed a leadoff walk to junior third baseman Landon Pyles with his home run in the eighth. Two batters later, Hamilton made it 7-5 with his second solo shot of the contest.

Medina led off the bottom half with a home run to complete the scoring.

Started Gavin Perry (0-2) took the loss for the Hounds, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out three over 4 1/3 innings.

The teams were slated for a pair of seven-inning contests on Saturday and wrap up the series with a noon (MST) nine-inning single tilt today.