No. 19 T-Birds take two from Clarendon to open WJCAC play
HOBBS, N.M. — The 19th-ranked New Mexico Junior College baseball team started Western Junior College Athletic Conference play on the right foot as the Thunderbirds swept a doubleheader from Clarendon College 5-1 and 7-4 Sunday at Ray Birmingham Thunderbird Field.
NMJC (12-7, 2-0) received strong pitching performances in each game to lead the way. In game one it was Texas Tech-signee Mark Simon (2-0) as the sophomore tossed a complete game, giving up a run on four hits with seven strikeouts and walked just one.
In the second game it was Blake Walden (1-1) in relief of Colby Price that led the T-Birds as the freshman went 5 2/3 innings and gave up a run on four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk to pick up the victory. Brett Worthen came in and threw a scoreless inning for his seventh save.
In the first game, a Jacy Cave two-run home run in the bottom of the first would be all the offense NMJC would need as the T-Birds eventually took a 3-0 lead after the first two innings. NMJC tacked on two more in the sixth to make it 5-0 before Clarendon scored its lone run in the seventh to make the final 5-1.
Cave finished 2-for-3 for NMJC, including his team-high seventh homer of the season. Luis Pintor added a double and Zac Sanders had a triple.
Reibi Alberto got the loss for Clarendon (6-9, 0-2), going all six innings and giving up five runs on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
In game two, NMJC once again pounced on Clarendon early as the T-Birds scored three in the first and two in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Bulldogs closed to within two after putting up three runs in the third (highlighted by a two-run homer by Brady Hamilton) but NMJC held off Clarendon to sweep the doubleheader.
Jeff Deimling went 2-for-3 for NMJC with three runs, a stolen base and an RBI, Branden Grieger went 2-for-2 with a double and RBI while Angel Vega was 2-for-3 with an RBI and stolen base.
Brandon Hillier got the loss for Clarendon, going three innings and giving up five runs (two earned) on three hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Hamilton finished 2-for-2 with two home runs and three RBI.
The T-Birds and Bulldogs close out their four-game series with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. Monday in Hobbs.