T-Birds outlast three Midland rallies for win
April 25, 2019

T-Birds outlast three Midland rallies for win

 

EDUARDO MIRANDA NEWS-SUN
April 25, 2019

 

 

 

On Wednesday afternoon the New Mexico Junior College baseball team and Western Junior College Athletic Conference opponent Midland College played for the last time in the regular season in The

 

Ray Birmingham field.

 

The only difference between Wednes day's game and the previous meeting is this was a non-conference game that did not affect either of the team's standing in the WJCAC.

 

The Thunderbirds (31-13, 21-7) outlasted Midland for a 7-6 win.

 

The current WJCAC top seeded NMJC gave the start to Anthony Chavez who went one inning giving up a hit with two strikeouts. Alan Calzada came in and went two innings giving up three hits for two runs both earned. Calzada finished with two strikeouts and two walks. Oscar Sanchez relieved Calzada and went 0.1 innings with no hits or runs and got a strikeout and walked two. Chris Lata came on for 1.2 innings giving up only a walk. David Ortega went 1.1 innings giving up five hits for four runs all earned. Ortega finished with a strikeout and two walks. Jacob Simms came on for 1.2 innings giving up a hit with four strikeouts and a walk for the win. Cade Acrey came on for the save going one inning with no hits or runs and two strikeouts.

 

Ballesteros 2-for-3 with two RBI, Kenneth Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with four RBI. Joab Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

 

NMJC started the game trailing

 

- going bottom of the second. The

 

Thunderbirds rebounded and took a 2-1 lead, but the lead was short lived when Chaparrals leveled the game at 2-2 in the third. The Thunderbirds retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring a run, but Midland evened the score at 3-3 in the top of the sixth.

 

In the bottom of the sixth New Mexico created some space scoring three runs to go up 6-3. The Chaparrals tied the game for the third time by scoring three runs in the top of the seventh. NMJC scored what became the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

 

The Thunderbirds will resume conference play on Friday when they host WJCAC second place Odessa College in a doubleheader with the first pitch at noon.