Peter Dindinger — NMMI Sports Press
Only 10 games remain for the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco baseball team.
The Broncos are not mathematically out of the equation yet when it comes to rising to the fourth spot in the conference standings.
In search of some victories, the Broncos hosted the Frank Phillips College Plainsmen on Saturday at NMMI Ballpark.
NMMI overcame a 6-2 deficit by rallying for five runs to pull away with an 8-6 victory in Game 1. Unfortunately, things did not translate into Game 2.
The Plainsmen pushed across four runs in the top of the ninth to help gain some breathing room to come away with the 12-7 win to split the series.
Frank Phillips scored three runs in the first inning to start Game 1. The Plainsmen took advantage of two errors and an RBI single by Kaleb Scull.
Later in the top of the second, the Plainsmen added a run to make the score 4-0 after a sacrifice fly by Preston Mills.
The Plainsmen's lead grew to 5-0 after an RBI double by Sergio Galvan in the third.
NMMI began to chip away as it erased the shutout in the bottom half of the third. Guillermo Borquez and B.Y. Choi delivered back to back RBI singles to make the score 5-2.
Mills tallied his second sacrifice fly to plate home a run in the fourth to put Frank Phillips up by four.
The Broncos took a 7-6 lead in the bottom half of the frame. Edrien Martinez hit an RBI single while Rhett Stokes drove in two runs with a single to center.
Borquez delivered the game-tying RBI double to right. Diego Solis followed up with an RBI single to put NMMI ahead.
NMMI added one more run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by Borquez.
The Broncos narrowly out hit the Plainsmen 14-12.
Borquez finished 3 for 4 with two singles, a double and three RBI. Solis went 3 for 4 with three singles and an RBI.
Owen Alsup tallied a single and a double to go 2 for 3 while Jesh Leckey finished 2 for 3 with a pair of singles.
Jorge Garcia improved to 6-3 after throwing 4.2 innings allowing two earned runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts.
Albert Oliva Velez earned his second save of the year after allowing two hits and fanning two batters in 2.1 innings of work.
To start Game 2, Frank Phillips took an early 4-0 lead while holding the Broncos to four-straight scoreless innings.
NMMI was held to just one hit during the four-inning span.
The shutout was ended in the bottom of the fifth as Choi drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in Alsup to cut the deficit to three.
In the sixth, the Plainsmen made the score 6-1 after an RBI single by Cade Zalewski.
On an RBI double by Armando Ramirez Jr. in the bottom half of the sixth, the Broncos had cut the deficit to four.
Frank Phillips tacked on another run in the top of the seventh after an RBI single by Cory Bonstrom.
NMMI rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to trail by one. Borquez hit a clutch two RBI double to center to highlight the inning.
Ramirez then drove in a run with a triple to right while Alsup followed suite with an RBI double.
A solo home run by Scull in the top of the eighth made the score 8-6.
With one swing of the bat, Trotter Boston drilled a first-pitch solo homer in the bottom half of the eighth to get the Broncos back within one run.
Frank Phillips added on some insurance runs in the top of the ninth, which came in the form of a three-run home run by Zalewski and an RBI single Bonstrom.
Cabanillas drops to 3-2 on the year after allowing four earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts in five innings.
Frank Phillips had 15 hits to NMMI's 11.
Boston now leads the team with six home runs. He was tied with five alongside Martinez.
Borquez finished 2 for 5 with a single, a double and two RBI. He is now hitting .300. Borquez is 9 for 17 in his last five plate appearances.
Alsup tallied two singles, a double and an RBI to go 3 for 5. Ramirez finished 2 for 3 with a double, triple and two RBI.
Stokes added with a 2 for 5 performance with a double and a single. He is riding a seven-game hitting streak. Stokes has a team-high 55 hits and is tied for the lead in doubles with 11 alongside Borquez.
>> UP NEXT: The four-game series concludes Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
Game 1
NMMI 8, Frank Phillips 6 (7)
FRANK…3111000 — 6 12 0
NMMI….002501x — 8 14 3
Kelvin Roman, Jake Thielen (4), Dalton Hitt (6). Jorge Garcia, Julian Lopez (5), Albert Oliva Velez (5). W — Garcia. L — Roman. 2B — FPC: Sergio Galvan, Cade Zalewski; NMMI: Owen Alsup, Guillermo Borquez. 3B — FPC: Kaleb Scull. HR — None.
Game 2
Frank Phillips 12, NMMI 7 (9)
FRANK…103002114 — 12 15 2
NMMI...000011410 — 7 11 3
Fawster Voytko, Zach Westbrook (5), Corbin Lingo (7). Jose Cabanillas Jr., Jackson Peters (6), Jason Maldonado (6), Leandro Tamaki (9). W — Voytko. L — Cabanillas. 2B — FPC: Blake Wilhoite, Cade Zalewski; NMMI: Owen Alsup, Guillermo Borquez, Armando Ramirez Jr., Rhett Stokes. 3B — FPC: Sergio Galvan; NMMI: Armando Ramirez Jr. HR — FPC; Kaleb Scull, Cade Zalewski; NMMI: Trotter Boston.
Records — Frank Phillips College (14-29, 7-19); NMMI (21-24, 7-15).