Peter Dindinger – NMMI Sports Press
CLARENDON, Texas – It was a make or break situation for the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco baseball team.
One win away from making their first regional tournament appearance since 2016, the Broncos dropped 15-7 to the Clarendon College Bulldogs in seven innings Saturday afternoon in the elimination bracket.
The Bulldogs (30-19) advance to the Western Junior College Athletic Conference tournament championship at 12 p.m. CDT Sunday where they will face Odessa College.
Odessa defeated Clarendon earlier on Saturday by the score of 15-6.
NMMI (24-19) had to endure though a lot during this pandemic year.
The Broncos fought hard towards the end to extend their season and give themselves a chance to compete in the conference tournament as a sixth-seed.
Everything was working in NMMI's favor early on.
In the top of the second, Cam Stevenson got the Broncos on the board with an RBI single that plated home Armando Ramirez Jr.
NMMI then rallied for four runs in the third inning.
Rudy Solis hit a leadoff double and later scored on a single by Ramirez Jr. Justin Lawrence then came into the clutch with a two RBI double.
Victor Jimenez later drove in Lawrence with an RBI single.
Holding a 5-0 lead, the tables were turned and the momentum was switched over to the Bulldogs in the bottom of the fourth.
With two outs, Clarendon managed to score six runs to take a one-run lead.
Kevin Bemudez highlighted the rally with a two RBI double.
NMMI tied up the game in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Jimenez. Guillermo Borquez then hit the go-ahead RBI single that came on a pop fly to short.
With one swing of the bat, Bermudez tied things up at 7-7 with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth.
The homer sparked up a four-run rally. Pierre-Emmanuel Planes put the Bulldogs ahead 8-7 with an RBI triple.
JC Reed then made the score 10-7 with a two RBI triple.
A pair of home runs by Chris Estrada and Planes extended Clarendon's lead to six in the bottom of the sixth.
Planes drove in the final run on an RBI single to punch Clarendon's ticket into the regional tourney.
The Broncos finished with 11 hits.
Lawrence finished 3 for 4 with a single, two doubles and two RBIs while Borquez went 2 for 2 with two singles, two walks and an RBI.
Jimenez and Ramirez Jr. went a combined 4 for 7 with four singles and three RBIs.
Solis added going 1 for 2 and Stevenson finished the evening going 1 for 4.
Drew Price started the game for NMMI throwing 3.2 innings allowing four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
Jaydon Stephens, Henrique Date, Ty Villareal and Albert Oliva Velez combined to allow 12 hits and 11 earned runs while fanning four batters.
Clarendon's pitching staff tallied 12 strikeouts.