Peter Dindinger — NMMI Sports Press
On an overcast and cold Saturday afternoon, the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco baseball team welcomed the Western Nebraska Community College Cougars for a four-game series at NMMI Ballpark.
In Game 1, NMMI starting pitcher Megumi Fukuda tossed a one-hitter with six strikeouts to help the Broncos secure a 3-0 victory.
The Cougars out hit the Broncos 11-6 in Game 2 to earn the series split with a 7-3 win.
NMMI pushed across three runs in the bottom of the third in Game 1. The Broncos got their first two batters aboard after a hit by pitch and a five-pitch walk.
Adrian Rubio drilled a single to center to drive in a run. Jesh Leckey later scored off a fielder's choice by B.Y. Choi.
Edrien Martinez brought in Ryan Flake with a sacrifice fly to left field to highlight the rally.
Fukuda retired his first seven batters of the game in order before allowing a double to Eli Hernandez in the top of the third.
Marc Rios and Leandro Tamaki came in to relieve the final two innings as the duo struck out one batter and didn't allow a single hit.
Tamaki picked up his first save of the season.
Armando Ramirez Jr. went 1 for 3 with a triple while Rhett Stokes tallied a single to finish 1 for 4. Noah Nunez hit a single in the bottom of the sixth to go 1 for 1.
To start Game 2, the Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second after Drew Book hit a two RBI double.
NMMI cut the deficit to one run in the bottom half of the frame with a solo home run by Ramirez.
The Broncos tied up the game at two-all with an RBI groundout by Rubio in the fourth.
On two errors and a single, Western Nebraska flipped the script in the top of the sixth, taking a 4-2 lead.
The Cougars added on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh with a two-run home run by Jack Jones.
Western Nebraska scored its final run on an RBI double by Book in the eighth.
Drew Price struck out five batters while allowing four hits in five innings of work to earn the no decision. The NMMI bullpen tallied three strikeouts and allowed seven earned runs.
Stokes went 2 for 4 with a single and a double while Choi went 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk.
Trotter Boston finished 1 for 2 with a double. Nunez hit an RBI double in the eighth to finish 1 for 1.
>> UP NEXT: NMMI wraps up its four-game series with the Cougars with a doubleheader beginning at noon on Sunday.
Game 1
NMMI 3, Western Nebraska 0 (7)
WESTE……0000000 — 0 1 1
NMMI…….003000x — 3 4 0
Dawson Hurford, Owen Vanthillo (5). Megumi Fukuda, Marc Rios (6), Leandro Tamaki (7). W — Fukuda. L — Hurford. SV — Tamaki. 2B — Western Nebraska: Eli Hernandez. 3B — NMMI: Armando Ramirez Jr. HR — None.
Game 2
Western Nebraska 7, NMMI 3 (9)
WESTE…….020002210 — 7 11 0
NMMI……..010100010 — 3 6 2
Harold Baez, Noah Baumann (6), Brian Bruxvoort (8). Drew Price, Julian Lopez (6), Albert Oliva Velez (8), Emilio Pardo (9). W — Baumann. L — Lopez. 2B — Western Nebraska: Drew Book (2); NMMI: Trotter Boston, Noah Nunez, Rhett Stokes. 3B — NMMI: B.Y. Choi. HR — Western Nebraska: Jack Jones; NMMI: Armando Ramirez Jr.
Records — Western Nebraska (1-1); NMMI (5-4).