Box Score (Game 1)Box Score (Game 2)Season StatsPORTALES, N.M. – The No. 18 West Texas A&M baseball team used two runs in the top of the ninth for a 2-0 victory and scored one run in the nightcap in the first inning for a 1-0 win in a doubleheader sweep of Eastern New Mexico Saturday. With the wins, WT improved to 23-7 and 12-4 in Lone Star Conference play, while ENMU fell to 9-21 and 2-14 in league play.
In a sharp contrast from Yesterday's 16-5 win for the Buffs, Saturday's twin bill saw a combined 17 hits between the two teams and three total runs – all by the Buffs. The WT staff fanned 18 Greyhounds in the doubleheader and the Buffs struck out just six times. Strong pitching performances by seniors
Austin Moore,
Luke Wiechec and
Kyle Tinius were keys in the sweep as WT held ENMU to just .151 hitting on 8 of 53. The Buffs swept the Greyhounds for the first time since Apr. 3-4, 1998, in a four game series in Canyon. It also marked the first four game, sweep in Portales in series history. WT improved to 54-52 all-time against ENMU.
WT took over the top spot in the league standings by one game with the sweep as Texas A&M-Kingsville and Angelo State both lost on Saturday (11-5). The Buffs continue their 11-game road trip next weekend in a huge conference series at Texas A&M-Kingsville to complete the first half of the conference season.
#18 West Texas A&M 2, Eastern New Mexico 0 (Game One)In a game that saw a scoreless tie into the bottom of the seventh and 11 left on base between the two teams, including seven by the Buffs. ENMU got a walk, a sacrifice bunt, an intentional walk and a wild pitch put runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the seventh. The second intentional walk loaded the bases for the potential double play. Moore got Michael McNicholl to strikeout for the second out and fanned Chis Padilla looking to end the threat and send the game to extra innings. It was the second bases loaded jam Moore got out of in the game. ENMU also left seven stranded through seven innings.
Moore opened the bottom of the eighth with his 10
th strikeout of the game in 103 pitches to that point and then struck out the side tying his season-high with 12 strikeouts set against Tarleton State on March 5.
WT put another runner at third in the top of the ninth courtesy of a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt and final broke through as junior
Chad Brown singled to left for a RBI and 1-0 lead. He then advanced to second on a wild pitch. WT was 1 of 15 with runners on following the Brown RBI and 1 of 12 with runners in position. Senior
Mason Shiflett reached on an error, platting Brown for a 2-0 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Tinius replaced Moore in the ninth. Following a fly out to left, ENMU got a single to center. Hunter Sundre singled to second for two on with one away. Tinius got the second out with a ground out, but the tying run moved to into scoring position at second with two out. McNicholl flied out to center on a 3-1 count to end the game as Tinius earned his league-leading sixth save of the season.
For the game, Moore went eight innings, allowing four hits, walking five and fanning 12 to improve to 6-1 on the year. Tinius pitched the final inning for the save. Offensively, the Buffs had six hits with one error as Hansen went 2 for 4, while Brown was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI. Both teams left nine stranded for the game.
#18 West Texas A&M 1, Eastern New Mexico 0 (Game 2)In the nightcap, the buffs used a leadoff double down the left field line from Shiflett and a sacrifice RBI from Hansen for the 1-0 lead. ENMU put two on in the bottom of the frame, but was unable to score. The Greyhounds also had two on in the bottom of the second off Wiechec, but he was able to get out of the jam once again.
From there, the pitching took over on both sides as neither team was able to muster much offense. In the bottom of the seventh, a single to left put the tying run on with one out. Tinius relieved Wiechec and proceeded to get a strikeout and a ground out to first to end the game for his seventh save. Wiechec had a one-hitter going into the seventh before the single as ENMU hadn't tallied a hit since the first inning to that point.
The Buffs had just three hits in the game, but pitching and defense stood tall as ENMU left five stranded in the contest and 14 for the doubleheader, while WT left just nine on base all in the first game. Wiechec went 6.1 innings, allowing two hits, walked three and fanned five as he improved to 2-0 on the year.
