By OAKLEE FIELDER
Sports Editor
Last week, the NWOSU baseball team traveled to Las Vegas, New Mexico to play against the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys in a four-game series on Feb 7-9.
These games were the final games they had until the conference opener.
NMH 4-NWOSU 7
The first game against the Cowboys started with three quick runs for the both the Rangers and the Cowboys. Hagen Barcello hit a double with an error from the Cowboys that brought Dylan Bradford home to score the first point of the game.
Connor Green then hit a home run to bring Barcello and himself home to make it a three-run game over the Cowboys. Unfortunately, the Cowboys scored three runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
The next five innings were scoreless for both teams, although they both left multiple runners on base many times throughout the second through sixth innings. In the top of the seventh, Connor Green hit a sacrifice fly ball into right field bringing Dylan Bradford home taking the lead and making it a one-run ball game.
In the top of the eighth, Harley Shaffer hit a double into right field and brought Paul Sachen home. Bradford then hit a sacrifice ball into right field and brought Shaffer home to extend their lead.
In the ninth, Chad Green hit a single to bring Connor Green home and made it a 7-3 game. The Cowboys did respond in the bottom of the ninth with a double, but it was not enough to take the lead away from the Rangers. The game ended 7-4.
NMH 4-NWOSU 21
The next game against the Cowboys was the next day on the eighth.
It started off with a double homerun by Carson Wright bringing him and Dylan Bradford home to make it a 2-0 game. The Cowboys responded with two runs for themselves right after in the bottom of the first.
In the top of the third, Chad Green hit a single to left field and sent Carson Wright home to take the lead. New Mexico responded with a double home run to take the lead away from the Rangers.
The Rangers seemed to take that personally and scored twelve runs in the top of the fifth inning.
It started with a double home run from Carson Wright to bring him and Dylan Bradford home.
Colby Grace hit a single to center field which allowed Hagan Barcello to run home. The Cowboy’s catcher then missed the pitch and that allowed Connor Green to run home and score. Harley Shaffer was then walked with the bases loaded which sent Colby Grace home.
Dylan Bradford was next and he was hit by a pitch which sent Trevor Saire home. Hagan Barcello hit a double and sent Bradford, Shaffer, and Zach Vetal home. Connor Green hit a single and let Barcello come home, and Chad Green hit a home run to send him and his brother home. The fifth inning ended 15-4 for the Rangers. In the sixth, Connor Green hit a single to bring Barcello home and extend their lead. The next inning, Colby Jarnagin hit a sacrifice fly to allow Gavin Mendoza to get home.
Porter Pittman was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and that put Jason McCarty at home.
Colby Grace got to first on an error by the Cowboy’s third baseman and that let David Cronister go home and score the final points in the game. The Rangers defeated the Cowboys 21-4 with a mercy rule.
NMH 3-NWOSU 17
Later in the day, they played the Cowboys again, fresh off of a huge win.
The first two innings in the game were scoreless for either team. In the bottom of the third, New Mexico hit a single home run to take charge of the ball game. In the following inning, Porter Pittman hit a double which sent Harley Shaffer and Colby Grace home to take the lead away from the Cowboys. Chase Gordon hit a home run which took him and Pittman home to extend the lead. At the end of the top of the fourth, it was 4-1 for the Rangers. Chad Green hit a double and sent Hagen Barcello home. Colby Grace hit a single which sent the Green brothers home. Pittman then hit a homerun and sent him and Grace home. At the end of the fifth it was 9-1. In the sixth, Colby Grace hit a ball to third base but it was an error by the Cowboys and he went to first, Hagen Barcello scored a run due to the error.
In the seventh, Carson Wright hit a single to center field but made it to second due to an error. Bradford, Gordon and Pittman all went home after the hit from Wright. Hagen Barcello hit a single and sent Wright home. Chad Green hit a single and allowed Barcello to run home. Colby Grace hit a double but got Chad Green out and let Connor Green get to home.
Harley Shaffer hit a ground out to second base but that let Grace get home. The Cowboys responded with two runs in the bottom of the seventh but was not enough to reverse the mercy rule. The Rangers won the third game 17-3.
NMH 7-NWOSU 5
The next day, the fourth and final game of the series was played. The opening frame was scoreless for both teams. In the top of the second, Colby Grace hit a single home run to open the scoring up in the game. The Cowboys responded with five runs in the bottom of the second, two of those being walked with the bases loaded. In the third, Chad Green hit a double to left center field and sent Hagen Barcello home in an attempt to bring the game back.
New Mexico responded with two runs, one in the fourth and one in the fifth.
In the seventh, Hagen Barcello hit a homerun to bring him and Dylan Bradford home and cut the lead to three. Cooper Green hit a single homerun to cut it down to two, but the Rangers had nothing left in them.
The game ended 5-7 with a Cowboy win. The Rangers now have a 7-2 record, both losses happening at the end of a four-game series. They have played the most games out of all of the GAC teams with nine games played. They will play their conference opener on Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. in Alva.
