T-Birds Defeat Odessa, Improve to 2-0 at Region V Tournament

The NMJC T-Bird baseball team escaped with a nail-biting 6-5 victory over the Odessa Wranglers Saturday night.

Thunderbird second baseman Aaron Lugo scored the go-ahead run with two outs on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning.

The T-Birds trailed early after Odessa's Austin Russell hit an RBI single to right field to pull the Wranglers ahead 1-0. The Thunderbirds threatened in the top of the second when they loaded the bases with one out. Lorenzo Morresi struck out and Dylan Jasso flew out to deep center to keep the deficit at 1-0 in favor of the Wranglers.

It was not until the fourth inning when the T-Birds began to gain the edge. The Thunderbirds were looking for a spark and they received it on the defensive side. Shortstop Brent Iredale came through, helping turn a 6-4-3 double play to end the fourth inning.

NMJC managed to get a walk and a single in the top of the fifth to put two on with one out. A throwing error from short with two outs resulted in the T-Birds first run of the night. The game was tied at 1-1 in the fifth when Erick Ballenilla stepped up to the plate. The freshman left fielder blooped a single to center that scored two runs and gave the T-Birds a 3-1 lead.

Odessa scored two runs and tied the score at 3-3 on a two out line drive single that ricocheted off of the starting pitcher Robert Bonilla in the bottom of the sixth. Bonilla gave up three earned runs in five and two-thirds innings, striking out four on seven hits.

David Hankins came in relief of Bonilla in the sixth and emphatically struck out the next batter to end the threat. Hankins got into some trouble in the top of the seventh with two outs, but he struck out another batter which stranded two Wrangler runners on base.

The T-Birds began the top of the eighth inning with two straight walks as the score was tied 3-3. Then, Jesse Herrera's bat awoke. The sophomore DH singled down the line in left to score Josh Pearl and in the process gave the Thunderbirds back the lead 4-3. A sacrifice fly from Lorenzo Morresi put the Thunderbirds in front by two runs, 5-3, as they entered the bottom of the eighth.

The Wranglers were not finished. Odessa hit an RBI single with two outs to pull within one, 5-4. Steve Villarreal hit a double off the wall in left center to tie up the score at 5-5 in the eighth. T-Bird pitcher Garrett Thiele relieved Hankins with two outs and struck out the next batter to end the scoring and keep NMJC alive.

The Thunderbirds loaded the bases again in the top of the ninth inning with two out. A wild pitch by Odessa's Luke Wiseman put the go-ahead run in Lugo across the plate.

Garrett Thiele came back on the mound to close the 6-5 game out when the rain began to sprinkle in Roger Williams Ballpark. Thiele got the Wranglers to pop out for the first out. Then John David Moreno made a spectacular catch in center field for the second out of the inning in the ninth. Thiele gathered himself on the mound as the rain began to pour. Odessa's Liam MacDonald struck out swinging on a high fastball from Thiele to secure the win for the Thunderbirds 6-5.

Thiele earned his fifth win of the season in one and a third innings pitched. The T-Birds finished with seven hits and drew eight walks in the game.

NMJC moves to 45-12 on the season and will take on the Weatherford College Coyotes Sunday, May 14 at 4 p.m. CDT in Weatherford, Texas at Roger Williams Ballpark. The winner will play in the Region V Championship Monday, May 15 at 5 p.m. CDT. The loser will play at 1 p.m. CDT on Monday with the opportunity to advance to the championship if they win.