No. 19 T-Birds rally twice to complete Clarendon sweep
NMJC scores seven in 6th of game one to win 8-7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
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1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 0 |
HOBBS, N.M. — The 19th-ranked New Mexico Junior College baseball team rallied twice against Clarendon College to win 8-7 and 13-7 Monday to complete a four-game sweep of the Bulldogs at Ray Birmingham Thunderbird Field.
The wildest of the comebacks came in game one (a seven-inning game) as the T-Birds (14-7, 4-0) rallied from a 7-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth with seven runs – all coming with two outs.
In fact, the first two batters of the inning were retired by Clarendon (6-11, 0-4) before a JP Rousseau single started the epic inning. After a Travon Benton walk, Branden Grieger singled to score Rousseau to make it 7-2.
Back-to-back walks forced in another run when Austin Botello hit a two-run single to cut the Clarendon lead to 7-5. Jacy Cave followed with a two-run double to tie the game at 7-7 before Angel Vega singled to left to score Cave and give NMJC an 8-7 lead.
Brett Worthen shut the door on Clarendon as the NMJC closer struck out two in a perfect seventh inning to finish the comeback and pick up his eighth save. Isaac Lopez got the win in relief, going two innings and giving up three runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
Grieger went 3-for-3 for NMJC, Vega finished 3-for-4 and Rousseau went 2-for-3.
Keisy Portorreal got the loss for Clarendon, going 1/3 inning and giving up two runs on three hits with a strikeout.
Adrian Rodriguez led Clarendon at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, triple and three RBI.
In game two the T-Birds fell behind 5-1 after the top of the second before three runs in the bottom of the second (highlighted by a Luis Pintor two-run double) and three runs in the bottom of the third on a Botello three-run homer gave the T-Birds a 7-5 lead and NMJC led the rest of the way.
Botello finished 3-for-5 (a triple short of the cycle) with five RBI while Cave, Vega, Benton and Zak Felix had two hits apiece as the T-Birds pounded out 14 in the game.
The T-Birds got strong performances out of the bullpen from Roberto Delgado and Trenton Rousseau in game two. Delgado got the win, going four innings and giving up two runs on three hits with five strikeouts while Rousseau got the save by going three scoreless innings and giving up two hits with two strikeouts.
NMJC returns to action 11 a.m. Saturday when the T-Birds host Western Texas College.