The Bronco Baseball team stayed undefeated Saturday with a pair of big wins against the visiting Western Nebraska Cougars at NMMI Ballpark. The Institute ended both games early; 11-1 after five innings in the first game and 10-1 after seven innings in Game 2.
The Cougars were playing in their first official games of the season and haven't had much, if any good weather back home.
"That first lineup they put out there was pretty competitive, being the first time out for them," said NMMI head coach Chris Cook. "They're in a tough spot. I don't think they have been outside for one practice. But offensively, we're still doing some really good things."
Sophomore right-hander Marc Rios got the start for the Broncos in Game 1, allowing a single run off three hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. He threw strikes on 70 percent of his 73 pitches.
"I liked how Rios bounced back from last week," Cook said. "He threw a lot of strikes. They hit some balls hard early on, but he stayed locked in."
The Bronco bats were on fire early as the offense put up a 5-spot in the bottom of the first inning.
Sophomore second baseman and leadoff hitter Rhett Stokes tripled to start the game, before sophomore shortstop B.Y. Choi lined a double to right to plate the first run. After a couple fly outs, freshman third baseman Jun Hyuk Kown blasted a solo homer to left.
A walk and then a double each from sophomore left fielder Edrien Martinez and sophomore catcher Adonis Bernal took the score to 5-0.
The NMMI bats went relatively silent the next couple innings, and looked like they might stay quiet in the fourth, but with two outs and one man on, Choi launched a Cougar pitch over the centerfield wall for two more runs.
The two-out hitting continued in the fifth with a single from freshman designated hitter Bernie Socorras-Puig followed by a two-run single from Bernal that scored Socorras-Puig and Martinez, who walked earlier in the inning.
Sophomore centerfielder Fran Gross walked before Stokes lined a pitch to center to score the final two runs and end the scheduled seven inning game after five.
The Broncos got all 10 of their Game 2 runs in by the third inning, while sophomore right-hander Jackson Peters allowed just one run over five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Freshman righty Yuki Shigeyasu pitched the final two innings, allowing a single hit and striking out three.
"I was very happy to see Peters rebound after losing command early. He got right back in the strike zone and made some quality pitches," Cook said. "He was throwing his slider a lot more effectively than he was in his first two games. And Yuki didn't get to throw last weekend, but came in and did really well. A lot of swings and misses."
Stokes went 4-for-4 in Game 2, with an RBI, three runs scored and no walks or strikeouts. The former Roswell Coyote was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
"He's been a hit away from the cycle two or three times already. He's just been locked in steady at the plate," said Cook. "He's a fantastic player, just a huge guy at the top of the order."
Sophomore right fielder Willie Borquez had a 2-for-3 outing with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Martinez was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two scored and didn't strike out. Sophomore catcher Antionio Ramazzini went 1-for-3 with a big 3-run double.
"I don't think these type of five or six innings games will continue. Sure, it's nice if it does, but at the same time we kind of need to stretch some of these games out to get some guys innings on the mound and different guys in defensively," said Cook. "But we're off to a great start. Just gotta keep moving forward, keep fixing some little things and getting better daily."
The Broncos (10-0) play two more with the Cougars (0-2) tomorrow at 12 p.m.