Sunday, April 19, 2009

EDMOND, OKLA.— Freddy Carmona’s (Sr., C, San Antonio, Texas/Ranger College/William H. Taft HS) RBI single in the nightcap of Sunday’s Lone Star Conference doubleheader gave the Eastern New Mexico University baseball team (25-24; LSC 20-20) a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish, and Russell Campbell (Jr., RHP, Sachse, Texas/Ranger College/Sachse HS) scattered seven hits over seven complete innings to lift the Greyhounds to a 5-1 victory over Central Oklahoma (24-26; LSC 19-21), at Broncho Field. In the first game of the doubleheader, UCO posted an 11-8 win over Eastern.

In the nightcap, Paden Vendrely’s (Jr., DH, Deming, N.M./Deming HS) staked the Hounds to an early lead, driving a one-out sacrifice fly to right field, to plate Garrett Cook (Jr., SS, Deming, N.M./Lamar CC/Deming HS) from third base in the top of the first inning. The Bronchos responded in the bottom of the frame with a two-out RBI single from Brent Hodge to knot the score at 1-all.

With the teams locked in a pitcher’s duel between Campbell and UCO’s Brian Murphy, Clayton Young (Sr., LF, Canyon, Texas/Canyon HS) cracked a one-out double down the left field line in the Greyhound fifth and advanced to third on a wild pitch to Carmona. Young’s base running proved critical as Murphy induced ground outs from the next two batters, but he was able to scamper home on Carmon’s ground ball to UCO shortstop, Luke Yost and give ENMU a 2-1 lead. Andrew Foshee led off the bottom of the inning and moved to third base with one out after a sacrifice bunt from Casey Bruns and an infield single from Blake Mitchell. Foshee attempted to score the game-tying run on Ryan Schoonover’s fly ball to right field, but Ethan Wagner (Jr., RF, San Antonio, Texas/Cisco JC/Churchull HS) fired home to Carmona and the ball was relayed to Sean Cruce (Sr., 3B, Clovis, N.M./Clovis HS) to complete the inning-ending double play.

Wagner and Chris Eaton (So., 2B, Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola HS) both reached on UCO errors to lead off the top of the sixth inning and scored, to give Eastern a 4-1 lead, when right fielder Nate Mitani was unable to handle a ball off the bat of Jereme Johnson (Jr., CF, Roswell, N.M./NMJC/Roswell HS). Vendrely added a RBI single in the eighth, while Matthew Aragon (Sr., RHP, Albuquerque, N.M./Del Norte HS) held the Bronchos hitless over the final two innings to preserve the win.

Carmona gave the Hounds a 1-0 lead in the opener, belting his sixth home run of the season in the top of the first. Young scored on a wild pitch in the second, followed by a two-run Carmona single, pushing Eastern’s lead to 4-0. Central Oklahoma responded with nine unanswered runs to seize a 9-4 lead, before Young and Vendrely drove in runs in the sixth, pulling the Hounds to within 9-6. Central Oklahoma added two runs in the sixth and attempted score a third, but Jason Monko was caught in a run down between third and home and tagged out by Carmona on an attempted steal of the plate. Eaton and Young’s RBI singles in the seventh pulled the Hounds to within 11-8 and brought the game-tying run to the plate, but UCO held on for the win.

Carmona hit six-for eight over the doubleheader with a double, home run and four runs batted in. Young hit four-for-eight with a double and two RBIs.

The Eastern New Mexico University baseball team will travel to Wayland Baptist on Tuesday, with a 3 p.m. MST start time, before returning to Greyhound Field for their final home series against West Texas A&M.