Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press
SEMINOLE, Texas – Offense was abundant during the final two games Sunday afternoon of a four-game series between the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco baseball team and the Luna Community College Rough Riders.
Both squads combined to hit eight home runs at Robert Ryan Field, 10 for the entire series.
The Broncos (9-1 overall) took Game 3 in dramatic fashion after Mario Chacon hit a walk-off two-run homer to elevate his team to an 8-7 win.
NMMI carried its momentum into Game 4 as it made quick work of Luna with a 12-2 victory in five innings.
"We still got to get a lot more consistent offensively, but we've got the guys that are capable of putting runs on the board," said NMMI head coach Chris Cook. "We're not a station to station type team.
"So we can kind of live and die by the long ball a little bit, but that's just the makeup of our team. We got the right guy up at the right time against their best arm. Mario's just a ballplayer, he gets it done."
Trailing 2-0 to start Game 3, the Broncos got on the board with a go-ahead grand slam by Gavon Clemons in the bottom of the second.
Chacon was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third to increase NMMI's lead to three runs.
The Rough Riders (1-3) answered back with a game-tying three-run blast from Brandon Zweiner in the fifth. Momentum shifted over to Luna as it took a two-run lead in the sixth.
Entering its final at bat in the seventh, NMMI's Albert Oliva Velez hit a solo homer to chisel down the deficit to one.
Edwin Martinez Pagani hit a double to lead up to Chacon's two-run homer.
Ty Villareal started for the Broncos going 2 1/3 innings allowing just one while fanning three batters.
Clemons finished 1 for 4 with four RBIs while Chacon went 1 for 2 with two walks and three RBIs.
Velez also recorded a walk to go 1 for 2 with an RBI.
NMMI took advantage of 11 walks by the Luna pitching staff.
The Broncos carried their momentum into Game 4 as they took a 2-0 lead after Clemons hit an RBI double and Rudy Solis plated home a run on a sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the first.
Luna got on the board in the second to trail by one, but NMMI's bats erupted in the bottom of the second.
Noah Nunez, Henner Gonzalez Rodriguez and Derek Vanasse hit back-to-back-to-back homers while Chacon slide safely into home after a passed ball to increase NMMI's lead to 6-1.
The Rough Riders scored their final run on a solo homer from Dusty Sipe in the top of the third.
NMMI rallied for six runs in the bottom half of the frame. Trotter Boston and Velez each hit a pair of doubles which plated home three runs to highlight the rally.
Jorge Garcia threw four innings for the Broncos allowing four hits while striking out two. Robert Loya allowed one hit in one inning of relief while he struck the final two batters he faced.
The Broncos are slated to take on Community Christian College March 6-7 for a four-game series at Lubbock Christian High School's Eagle Field.
"It was obviously a home game on the road which is weird but we found a way to win a series when our backs were against the wall in Games 2 and 3," Cook said. "It's a much better bus trip going home then splitting a series."