T-Birds Close Out Season Runner-up at Region V Championship

The New Mexico Junior College baseball team fought valiantly in their 15-13 loss to Weatherford College.

The Thunderbirds got behind the eight ball early in the game. NMJC was down 10-1 after just four innings of play. The lone run came via a Mark Henning solo slam in the top of the fourth.

The T-Birds fortune began to change in the top of the fifth inning. Third baseman Brent Iredale injected life into the T-Bird offense with a three-run homer. Erick Ballenilla hit a sacrifice fly that scored Aaron Lugo and tacked on the fifth run of the day to pull NMJC within five runs of the Coyotes, 10-5, after five innings of play. 

Iredale came up big for the T-Birds again in the sixth inning when he knocked a triple into deep center, which scored Luis Gonzalez and Dylan Jasso. The T-Birds would trail by three, 10-7, as they entered the bottom of the sixth. Weatherford added a run in the sixth to extend their lead to four, 11-7. 

Rafael Gross smacked an RBI single to left in the top of the seventh that scored Mark Henning and made the deficit just three runs, 11-8. The T-Birds went on to strand two runners in seventh when shortstop Lorenzo Morresi grounded out to first.

Things got interesting in the bottom of the seventh. NMJC recorded the first out of the inning with a groundout to second. Then they allowed a single and walked the next two batters to load the bases. 

Oscar Tucci came in relief of Robert Bonilla as the seventh pitcher of the day with the bases loaded and one out. Weatherford hit a sacrifice fly to right field that brought the Coyotes lead back up to four, 12-8. 

Unfortunately, the game entered a three-hour weather delay before being postponed to Tuesday, May 16 at 12 p.m. CDT.

When the Thunderbirds restarted the matchup Weatherford had runners on second and third with two outs in the seventh. The T-Birds were behind the Coyotes 12-8. EJ Miramontes was the eighth pitcher on the mound for NMJC when he replaced Tucci after the weather delay. 

An error by the catcher Luis Gonzalez brought the second run of the inning across for Weatherford and made the score 13-8. Right fielder Jack Arthur took Miramontes yard five pitches later, which scored two more runs and gave the Coyotes a 15-8 lead at the end of the seventh inning. 

No runs were surrendered by either team in the eighth. NMJC would get one final shot in the top of the ninth inning trailing by seven runs, 15-8. Mark Henning led things off with an infield single to second. Erick Ballenilla was hit by a pitch in the next at bat and Josh Pearl walked on four pitches to load the bases with no outs. 

Luis Gonzalez singled to center to drive in the first run of the ninth. Rafael Gross grounded into a bang bang double play which scored Ballenilla. 

Morresi came up to the plate down 15-10 with two outs and a runner on third. He doubled off the wall to score Pearl and bring NMJC within four, 15-11. Jasso was the next batter up for the T-Birds. The freshman uncorked a first-pitch 2-run bomb to right field that cut the deficit in half, 15-13. 

Still down to their last out, Iredale trotted out to try and will NMJC to victory. The freshman flew out to center to end the phenomenal ninth inning rally by the Thunderbirds. The T-Birds put up five runs in the final inning to fall short 15-13.   

First baseman Dylan Jasso finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. Third baseman Brent Iredale was 2-for-4 with five RBIs and one run scored. 

DH Mark Henning was 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI. Shortstop Lorenzo Morresi went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.     

Isaiah Arteaga recorded his second loss of the season after lasting two innings and surrendering four earned runs in the start. The T-Birds recorded 15 hits during the two-day marathon in Weatherford, Texas. 

NMJC finished the season as the WJCAC Champions and Region V Runner-ups with a record of 46-14.