No. 19 T-Birds go 2-2 on road trip to Weatherford

WEATHERFORD, Texas – The 19th-ranked New Mexico Junior College baseball team swept a pair of games from Navarro College and dropped two games to Weatherford College on Friday and Saturday in Weatherford.

NMJC (10-7) opened up Friday with a 6-4 win over Navarro. The score was tied 4-4 before a two-run single to left by Jeff Deimling gave the Thunderbirds the lead for good.

Jacy Cave, last week's NJCAA player of the week, went 2-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season, Branden Grieger went 2-for-4 while Austin Botello went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.

Trenton Rousseau picked up the win in relief, going 1 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts. Brett Worthen got the save after going two scoreless innings and giving up just one hit.

Later on Friday NMJC dropped a 4-3 contest to Weatherford. The game was tied 3-3 before Weatherford scored a run in the eighth without the benefit of a hit thanks to a walk, a T-Bird error, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.

Blake Walden got the loss in relief, going two innings and giving up a run on a hit with four strikeouts and a walk.

NMJC had just two hits in the game – singles by Daniel Herrera and Angel Vega.

The T-Birds faced Weatherford to start Saturday and lost 12-2 as six NMJC errors led to its demise.

Cave went 2-for-3 for NMJC while Botello and Travon Benton each had an RBI.

Fernando Fernandez-Beltran got the loss, going 2 1/3 innings and giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks.

The T-Birds ended the trip on a high note by beating Navarro 3-1 in a seven-inning contest.

The game was tied 1-1 before a two-run triple by Deimling in the fifth gave NMJC all the runs it would need.

Isaac Lopez got the win in relief, going 2 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings with a strikeout and a walk. Worthen worked a scoreless seventh to pick up his sixth save.

Matt Martin went 2-for-3 with a double for NMJC while Herrera was 2-for-2 with a stolen base.

The T-Birds begin conference play Friday when they start a four-game set against Clarendon College in Clarendon, Texas.