NMMI Sports Press

Coming off a pair of tough losses last Saturday in El Paso, Bronco Baseball head coach Chris Cook needed long, dominant efforts from his first two starting pitchers of the final four-game homestand of the season… and he got it.

Julio Ramos and Alejandro Torres each tossed more than 90 pitches during long starts that helped the Broncos pick up two run rule-shortened victories that put NMMI in sole possession of third place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference standings.

"Both pitchers had good fastballs and located their breaking balls," Cook said after the wins. "They had some hits, a few walks and some errors that put some pressure on Ramos, but he was able to pitch around it. Torres was fantastic and with the run-rule games that helped us keep everybody available for tomorrow."

GAME 1

The Broncos took an early 3-0 lead then ended the game early with eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to win the series opener 11-1.

The Institute played behind a fantastic start from Ramos, who picked up his team-leading seventh win of the season. The right-handed sophomore from Arizona pitched into the sixth inning, scattering four hits across different frames while walking four opposing hitters.

Ramos's day got off to a shaky start as he gave up a single to Amarillo's lead-off man before loading the bases on a ground ball error and an HBP, but he got the next Badger to hit a weak pop and the next to ground into a double play to escape the first inning clean.

From there, Ramos kept the usually noisy bats of the Badger's relatively quiet. Sophomore reliever Yuki Shigeyasu handled the final two outs for the Broncos.

"The key in Game 1 was limiting the damage," Cook said. "We made several mistakes defensively, but in four out of the first five innings, they had runners in scoring position when we made the final out, so we were able to turn some double plays and make some pitches when necessary."

Freshman catcher Seojun Oh and freshman designated hitter Hee-Ryun Han each had multiple hits for NMMI, with Oh driving in three runs and Han hitting a triple to jumpstart the bottom of the sixth inning. Neither struck out or walked during the game.

GAME 2

NMMI jumped out to a 3-0 lead again to start the second game and kept piling on the runs in the later innings while Torres went the distance in a seven inning game ended early by the run rule.

The freshman right hander from Florida gave up two runs off eight hits with eight strikeouts and just one walk, and most importantly, allowed the Broncos to save their bullpen arms.

Third baseman Daniel Lizarraga went 3-for-3 with two runs batted in and three scored and Han stepped up again with a two hits and three RBIs.

NMMI took a commanding lead with a four-run fifth inning, starting with a two-run homer over the left field fence from Lizarraga and a solo shot from shortstop Junhyuk Kwon. First baseman Julian Payan scored the final run of the frame after drawing a walk then scoring on a passed ball.

"It was nice to see Danny get out of his little funk and Kwon hit one really hard," said Cook. "If those guys get going along with the freshmen we've got a little bit of an offense put together. We don't have a ton of power, but we've got enough offense to score some runs and when our starting pitchers are in the zone and executing their second and third pitches, we're pretty solid."

ELSEWHERE

Odessa (16-14) and Howard (15-15) split their Friday doubleheader, helping the Broncos (17-13) pull a game ahead of Odessa in the standings. Howard is just two games back and hosts NMMI next weekend in the final series of the season.

The top four teams in the WJCAC will qualify for the regional tourney in Waco, Texas starting May 10.

UP NEXT

The Broncos play their final home games starting tomorrow (Saturday, April 27) at noon, with this year's sophomore class being recognized pregame.

As usual, the games will be streamed live at no cost at KSVPtv.com. The KSVPtv crew will be on site providing improved camera angles and in-game commentary as the Broncos try to move closer to securing a second-straight playoff appearance.