Peter Dindinger — NMMI Sports Press
It was the final time the 19 sophomores on the New Mexico Military Institute Bronco baseball roster were going to lace up the cleats at NMMI Ballpark.
Against the top team in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference, the Broncos gave it their all, battling each game to close out the four-game series Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately, New Mexico Junior College ended up with the four-game sweep after winning a nail-biting Game 3 by a score of 15-11 in eight innings.
The Broncos finish the season 22-11 at home, their first winning record at home since 2017.
Behind a three-hitter from Thunderbird pitcher Paul Coppinger, NMJC won Game 4 in seven innings, 10-3.
Game 3 featured six combined home runs and 34 hits.
NMJC led 1-0 in the first inning after an RBI single by Luis Gonzalez.
The Thunderbirds extended the lead to 2-0 with an RBI double by Lorenzo Morresi in the second.
After a leadoff single by Owen Alsup, Dylan Shea belted a two-run home run to tie the game in the bottom half of the second.
An RBI single by Rhett Stokes later gave the Broncos the 3-2 lead.
NMJC rallied for eight runs in the top of the fourth. The big inning was highlighted by a two-run home run by Kade Benavidez and a two-run blast from Morresi.
The Broncos cut the deficit to six runs with a sacrifice fly by Stokes that plated home Albert Oliva Velez in the bottom of the fourth.
NMMI came from behind to tie the game at 10-all in the fifth. After a leadoff triple by Diego Solis and a single by Guillermo Borquez, Alsup hit a three-run blast to cut the deficit to three.
Armando Ramirez Jr. then hit an RBI double to make the score 10-8. Stokes later tied up the game with a two-run home run.
In the top of the seventh, NMJC's Stanley Tucker hit a solo home run to center to make the score 11-10.
Stokes later tied up the game in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI single to send the game into extra innings.
The Thunderbirds put together a four-run rally to break the tie in the top of the eighth to take the 15-11 lead.
Tucker had a two RBI triple during the momentum shifting inning.
NMJC out hit the Broncos 19-15.
Stokes finished 3 for 4 with two singles, a homer and five RBI. Alsup went 4 for 4 with three singles, a homer and three RBI.
Shea tallied a single, homer and two RBI to go 2 for 4.
Stokes and Alsup each have six home runs on the year, just one behind the team leader Trotter Boston.
In the series finale, NMMI was held to six scoreless innings before scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
NMJC did its damage in the top of the fifth by scoring five runs on two home runs to increase the lead to 7-0.
NMMI's final three runs were scored off an RBI single by B.Y. Choi and a two RBI single by Ramirez.
Ramirez finished 2 for 4 with a single, double and two RBI while Choi went 1 for 2 with a single, two walks and an RBI.
Borquez tallied a double to go 1 for 2. Adrian Rubio finished 1 for 2 with a single and a walk.
>> UP NEXT: NMMI closes out the season with a four-game series in Clarendon, Texas, beginning Friday, May 6 at 11 a.m. MDT.
Game 3
New Mexico Junior College 15, NMMI 11 (8)
NMJC.…11080014 — 15 19 1
NMMI…03016010 — 11 15 1
Fernando Gonzalez, Gabriel Torres, Josh Akers, Kade Benavidez. Megumi Fukuda, Adrian Rubio, Jackson Peters, A.J. Palomino, Leandro Tamaki, Demitrius DiMatteo. W — Akers. SV — Benavidez. L — Tamaki. 2B — NMJC: Aaron Lugo, Camden Melvin, Rafael Gross (2), Lorenzo Morresi; NMMI: Armando Ramirez Jr., Dylan Shea. 3B — NMJC: Stanley Tucker; NMMI: Albert Oliva Velez, Rhett Stokes. HR — NMJC: Stanley Tucker, Kade Benavidez, Lorenzo Morresi; NMMI: Owen Alsup, Dylan Shea, Rhett Stokes.
Game 4
NMJC 10, NMMI 3 (7)
NMJC…1001503 — 10 11 0
NMMI..0000003 — 3 5 2
Paul Coppinger, Max Swenson, Robert Bonilla. Drew Price, Henrique Date, Saul Rocha. W — Coppinger. L — Price. 2B — NMJC: Kade Benavidez; NMMI: Guillermo Borquez, Armando Ramirez Jr. 3B — None. HR — NMJC: Jesse Herrera, Camden Melvin, Kade Benavidez (2).
Records — NMJC (38-14, 21-7); NMMI (25-26, 11-17).