Karen Boehler — NMMI Sports Press
ODESSA, Texas — The conventional wisdom in baseball is to win at home and split on the road, but with very few home games on the schedule, the Broncos (16-2, 1-1) have been winning almost everywhere. Unfortunately, that changed Thursday In Odessa, as NMMI split with the Wranglers.
The Institute opened the WJCAC season with a solid 5-2 win over Odessa (6-11, 1-1), but fell 10-0 in the second game — only their second loss this season.
The Broncos used solid pitching and several extra-base hits to win Game 1.
After stranding a runner in the first inning, NMMI opened the second with a home run by Mario Chacon and never looked back. Odessa pitcher Collin Horton then walked Cam Stevenson and Victor Jimenez and after getting the second out on a strikeout, gave up a bases-clearing triple to Edwin Martinez Pagani to make it 3-0 Broncos.
As he did in the first, NMMI pitcher Megumi Fukuda got the Wranglers out 1-2-3 in the second, then the Institute added one more run in the third, with Chacon getting his second homer of the game.
The bottom of the third was the only inning in which Fukuda struggled a bit, allowing two runs on a trio of singles, a sacrifice fly and a balk.
The Broncos added a cushion in the fifth on a two-out double by Guillermo Borquez and an RBI single by Gavon Clemons. Facing Odessa reliever Randall Blanscett, Chacon walked in his third time at bat, but both he and Clemons were stranded, and the final innings were uneventful on both sides.
Chacon was 2-for-2 with two home runs and a walk, and Martinez Pagani was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.
Fukuda pitched the full seven innings, allowing two runs, both earned, on four hits. He struck out nine and walked one.
Game 2 was all Wranglers.
Odessa pitcher Chandler David held NMMI to five hits: a double and single by Martinez Pagani; two singles by Rudy Solis; and one by Stevenson. He walked only one and struck out 11.
Institute starter Jorge Garcia was rocked for seven runs in the second inning and one in the fourth, only one earned, while reliever Saul Rocha gave up two runs in the fifth to end the game early.
The Broncos will be back in action with a doubleheader Friday with Game 1 beginning at 10 a.m.