ENMU splits against No. 5 Buffs

Apparently, all you have to do is bring in an opponent with a number next to its name and it brings out some of the best in the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team.

The Greyhounds are yet to win a Lone Star Conference series this season, but they’ve earned four-game splits against then-No. 1 Angelo State and, over the weekend, fifth-ranked West Texas A&M.

ENMU (9-11, 9-11 LSC) came close to clinching a series win with the rival Buffaloes before falling 5-4 in 10 innings in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. WT then pulled out a series split with a 15-10 victory in Sunday’s finale at Greyhound Field.

“We needed to (play well) on defense today with the wind blowing out, but they got the bats hot early and stayed hot,” ENMU coach Riley Price said of the Buffs (13-5, 12-4), who cranked out 20 hits in the contest. “We left too many runners on base today, but we had a lot of hard barrels right at them that just didn’t fall.”

The teams combined for nine runs in the first inning and eight in the fourth, which ended with the Buffs clinging to a 9-8 advantage. WT put the game away with a three-run ninth, getting an RBI double from first baseman Dylan Fesperman and a two-run double from DH Zak Betencourt.

Senior left-hander Mason Caperton (1-0), who earned a save in Saturday’s second-game victory, picked up the win in Sunday’s three-hour, 36-minute marathon. He relieved starter Maddux Hoaglund in the first and went 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs.

Left-hander Douglas Rojas, the Buffs’ fourth pitcher, worked 2 2/3 hitless innings to notch his second save of the campaign.

Fesperman led WT’s attack, going 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs. All nine batters hit safely for the Buffs – including seven with multi-hit games, and seven players had two or more RBIs.

ENMU collected 12 hits in the contest. Junior first baseman Beau Preston capped a five-run first with a grand slam, his third home run of the campaign, while junior shortstop Willie Ponce finished 3-for-5.

Eight pitchers toed the rubber for ENMU. Junior right-hander Julian Lopez (1-2) worked three-plus innings, giving up nine hits and seven earned runs.

ENMU 8-4, West Texas A&M 5-5 (Saturday) – Junior Rodric Black’s sacrifice fly gave the Buffs the lead in the 10th in Game 2. Right-hander Reese Miller (2-0) struck out seven and allowed only three hits and an unearned run over five innings in relief for the win, while Caperton worked around a one-out single in the bottom of the 10th to nail it down.

Senior catcher Rutger Poiry’s RBI double in the sixth tied it 4-4 for ENMU, but the Hounds couldn’t manufacture another tally.

Fesperman hit a two-run triple and scored on right fielder Josh Zapata’s RBI single for a 4-1 Buffs lead in the top of the fifth, but ENMU quickly pulled close in the bottom half on a run-scoring double by left fielder Luciano Terilli and a WT throwing error.

Sophomore right-hander Zach Raichel (0-2) took the loss despite working a strong 4 1/3 innings in relief and giving up just the 10th-innning tally.

ENMU erased a 5-2, fourth-inning deficit to win the opener, getting a two-run double from junior designated hitter Demetrio Archuleta in the bottom of the fourth and a three-run double by junior third baseman Landon Pyles in the fifth. Senior right-fielder Cooper Hamilton singled home an insurance run in the sixth.

Junior right-hander Marc Rios (1-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of starter Josaiah Estrella. Junior lefty Luciano Terilli, ENMU’s fourth hurler, struck out WT center fielder Paul Wittmann with the bases loaded and two out in the seventh to end it and earn his second save.

The Hounds step outside the conference this weekend to host a pair of nine-inning tilts against New Mexico Highlands. Games are slated for 5 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.