CNJ staff
DURANT, Okla. — Eastern New Mexico University’s baseball team collected 12 hits on Saturday and put the leadoff man on in six of the nine innings.
But the Greyhounds had two runners thrown out on the bases in the first inning, hit into four double plays and committed five errors in a 5-1 loss to Southeastern Oklahoma in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Dan McKinney (1-1) and Cameron Mann pitched in and out of trouble for the Savage Storm (8-4). Meantime, designated hitter Riley Keith drove in a pair of runs to lead Southeastern’s 12 hit attack against senior right-hander Andrew Martin (2-1), who went 4 1/3 innings, and junior left-hander Daniel Sterling.
Luis Quinones and Brooke Brooks led off the ENMU first with singles, but Quinones was out trying to go first to third on the play and Brooks, who advanced to second on the throw, was then cut down trying to steal third. The Savage Storm then took a 2-0 lead on run-scoring singles in the bottom of the inning by Keith and second baseman Spencer Barnett.
Blake Thomsen singled to start the third for ENMU (6-4), took second on a sacrifice by Quinones, moved to third on a groundout and scored on first baseman Joe Huwer’s single up the middle. Southeastern immediately got that run back on Keith’s run-scoring double down the left field line in the bottom half after Kevin Phillps led off by reaching on an error by shortstop Alex Schultz.
Chad Colbert led off the Savage Storm sixth with a single, stole second and third nd scored on Keith Price’s squeeze bunt. Southeastern added an unearned run in the eighth when Brad Shankle came around from second on Blake Gentry’s infield hit when catcher Dillon Downs muffed a throw at the plate.
Quinones went 3-for-4 for the Hounds, grounding into a double play to end the game. Brooks, Downs and Daniel Binz all had a pair of hits.
All nine players in the order hit safely for the Savage Storm, with Keith, Gentry and first baseman Cameron Green each collecting a pair of hits.
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