CANYON, Texas – The #17 Buffaloes of West Texas A&M enter Sunday afternoon with a chance to sweep the opening weekend of Lone Star Conference action following a pair of victories over the Texas A&M International Dustdevils on Saturday at Haynes Field in Laredo, Texas.
 
GAME ONE
The Buffs jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning as Cameron Loy started the game with a double to center followed by a Ryan Johnson two-run homerun for the 2-0 lead. The Dustdevils cut into the lead in the home half as they took advantage of a WT error to make it 2-1.
 
WT used the long ball again in the top of the third inning as Adam Becker crushed a solo shot to left field to leadoff the inning, extending the lead to 3-1. TAMIU would answer back in the bottom of the third as Matt Kissamis singled to left to drive in Ariben Gutierrez to cut the lead to 3-2.
 
Johnson would add an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning as the senior from Albuquerque drove in his third RBI of the game with a single to left that plated Paul Wittmann to make it 4-2. WT bullpen closed out the game with six consecutive outs to pick up the victory.
 
Issac Keehn picked up the win (1-0) for the Buffs, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in his 5.0 innings of work. Tyler Cornett picked up his first save in Maroon & White as the Shallowater product struck out the side in the seventh for the win.
 
GAME TWO
WT opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning as Will Fuenning crushed a solo homerun to left field for the early 1-0 lead. TAMIU responded in the home half as Leeandro Alfonso singled to right to drive in a run followed later in the inning by a wild pitch to score Alfonso and make it 2-1.
 
The Buffs retook the lead in the fifth as Fuenning lifted a sac fly to deep left field with one out to score Johnson followed later in the frame by RBI singles from Eddy Savoie and Evan Leibl for the 4-2 lead. The Dustdevils responded again in the home half on an Alex Lugo RBI single to cut the lead to 4-3. 
 
WT would add some insurance runs in the top of the sixth as Mike Manetta ledoff the frame with a solo homerun to right followed by a Kory Schmidt sac fly and RBI singles from Savoie and Leibl to run the lead to 8-3. WT would add another run in the top of the seventh as Manetta started the inning with a triple followed by a wild pitch to give the Buffs a 9-3 lead.
 
TAMIU wouldn't go down without a fight as Antonio Buentello singled home a run with the bases loaded and one out in the home half of the seventh followed by an Alfonso sac fly to left center before a flyout ended the game, 9-5.
 
Gavin Pringle picked up the win (1-0) on the mound for the Buffs, allowing one earned run on two hits with three walks in his 2.0 innings of relief. 
 
The Buffs and Dustdevils close out their weekend series tomorrow afternoon in Laredo with first pitch set for 1 p.m. at Haynes Field.