T-Birds Advance with Walk-off Win over NMMI

The NMJC baseball team advanced in the Region V Tournament with a 10-9 walk-off win over New Mexico Military Institute Saturday afternoon.

Jose Contreras hit a sacrifice fly to right center field that drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The T-Birds started the game off on the wrong foot allowing three runs to score in the first inning. The Broncos had a chance to really open up the game with the bases loaded and no outs leading 3-0, but Alejandro Maltos-Garcia came in relief and struck out the next three batters.

The T-Birds got onto the board with a wild pitch that scored Jorge De Los Santos in the bottom of the third inning to get the Thunderbirds within two runs, 3-1.

The Broncos extended their lead with another run in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 advantage. The bats woke up for NMJC in the bottom half if the fifth inning.

Brent Iredale scored Christian Hoffman with a double down the right field line. Jonatan Clough singled to center scoring Iredale to bring the Thunderbirds within one run, 4-3. Two batters later, Travis Vlasek knocked a triple in the right center gap that scored two runners and gave NMJC their first lead of the game, 5-4.

The Broncos were able to tie the score up at 5 apiece in the top of the sixth. NMJC fired right back in the bottom half loading the bases with one out. Lane Arroyos received an RBI with a HBP and Jonatan Clough hit a sacrifice fly to right that scored another run to give NMJC a two-run lead, 7-5.

In the top of the seventh, NMJC needed just four pitches to record two outs. NMMI hit a routine ground ball to second on the sixth pitch of the inning that was mishandled by Erick Ballenilla, which allowed the runner to reach first on the error.

The Ballenilla error was costly. NMMI went on to load the bases with two out. A double and a single brought home four runs and all the sudden NMMI was sitting pretty, now in the lead 9-7.

The T-Birds went to the pen two pitches into the top of the eighth where they tabbed Landen Yorek for the first time since March 8. The Tomball, Texas native had not thrown a pitch in over two months.

The first batter was a challenge as he came in on a 2-0 count and unfortunately walked the batter. Yorek refocused and got to work on the next three batters. He struck out the first one, got a pop out on the second batter, and struck out the third batter to end the inning and keep NMJC in it down 9-7.

Brent Iredale hit his 25th home run of the year in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull the Thunderbirds with one run, 9-8.

The ninth inning was a wild one. Landen Yorek came back in the game and gave up a double to the first batter. Yorek then tried to pickoff the runner at second and threw it into center field allowing the runner to advance.

The sophomore got the next batter to pop out for the first out of the inning. The next batter Yorek threw a wild pitch that hit the backstop hard and came towards catcher Jorge De Los Santos. The runner on third dashed home as Yorek ran to cover the plate. De Los Santos made the perfect throw to home and Yorek laid down a tag to get the runner and save a run from scoring.

A pop out ended the inning as the T-Birds were now down to their final three outs going into the final frame.

Jonatan Clough led off with a shallow fly ball to right field, but NMMI made a diving play to record the first out. Erick Ballenilla walked the next at-bat on a 3-2 count. Travis Vlasek singled to center to put two runners aboard for NMJC.

The next batter was Luis Urias. Urias grounded to shortstop for what would've been a game-ending double play, but an errant throw from short to second went off target and allowed Ballenilla to score to tie the game 9-9 as all runners reached base safe.

Urias went on to steal second to take out the double play opportunity during the Jose "Pepe" Contreras at-bat. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Pepe hit a sacrifice fly to shallow right center field to score Vlasek and keep the Thunderbirds alive in their chase to win the Region V Championship.

Right fielder Christian Hoffman was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Third baseman Brent Iredale was 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two HBP, a double, and a homer. DH Travis Vlasek was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs, and the game-winning run.

Center fielder Jonatan Clough finished with two RBIs and one run scored. Second baseman Erick Ballenilla crossed the plate twice in the game. Catcher Jorge De Los Santos scored two runs. 

Landen Yorek earned the win going two innings in relief allowing one hit and striking out two. 

The Thunderbirds will play Grayson College in a rematch of the first game of the Region V Tournament on Monday, May 12 at 10 a.m. CDT. Grayson won the first matchup 9-2. 

The game will be streamed at https://www.centexsportsnetwork.com/ on the watch tab. Fans will have to create a free account in order to stream.