T-Birds split with Luna, finish WJCAC tied for 2nd

LAS VEGAS, N.M. — The New Mexico Junior College baseball team split a doubleheader with Luna Community College to wrap up its regular season, winning the first game 10-9 and losing the second 13-9 Saturday in Las Vegas, N.M.

The split means the Thunderbirds at 38-18 overall and 25-11 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference play finish tied for second with Midland College – three games back of first-place Howard College.

With Midland taking the four-game series from NMJC earlier in the season, the T-Birds will be the No. 3 seed out of the WJCAC heading into Friday's Region 5 Tournament at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

In Saturday's first game the T-Birds rallied from a 9-6 deficit heading into the seventh and final inning by scoring four runs – capped by a Jeff Deimling two-out, three-run home run – to make it 10-9.

Brett Worthen came in to pick up the save, giving up a hit while striking out two.

Blake Walden got the win, going 2 1/3 innings of relief and giving up two runs on two hits with a strikeout and a walk.

NMJC blasted five home runs in the game, getting one each from Deimling, Branden Grieger, Zac Sanders, Travon Benton and Jacy Cave. Deimling and Grieger each finished with three RBI while Grieger, Angel Vega, Austin Botello and JP Rousseau had two hits apiece.

In game two, NMJC held a 9-6 lead of its own before giving up four runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to fall 13-9.

Isaac Lopez got the loss, going two innings in relief and giving up four runs on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

Matt Martin went 3-for-3 for NMJC at the plate with two RBI while Sam Swindle, Benton, Terance Barela and Kody Russell each had two hits.