Left: Game 1 starting pitcher Marc Rios picked up his fifth win of the season by throwing a complete seven innings. Right: Bernie Socorras-Puig with a three-run blast in the third inning of Game 2, putting NMMI up 5-3. (NMMI Sports Press photos).
Posted: Mar 25, 2023
NMMI Sports Press
The Broncos won the first pair of contests in a four-game series against the Western Texas Westerners by finals of 5-1 and 10-5 on Saturday afternoon at NMMI Ballpark.
In the seven-inning first game, sophomore starting pitcher Marc Rios tossed a complete-game win, giving up one run off five hits with five strikeouts and two walks over his 105 pitches.
"Might've pushed him a little bit, but he's been pitching so well and it helps us set up the bullpen for later," said NMMI head coach Chris Cook. "We're pretty much full staffed this weekend, bullpen wise, so we're in pretty good shape."
Freshman Dong Woon Yuk got the start on the mound in the nine-inning second game, allowing three runs off five hits over four innings of work. Freshman Juilio Ramos pitched the fifth and sixth frames, giving up a pair of runs off four hits. Completing the freshman trio was Yuki Shigeyasu, who tossed the final three hitless innings.
On the offensive side, sophomore first baseman Owen Alsup went 7-for-8 across both games with a double, two triples, a home run and four RBIs. He flied out in his first at bat before starting the hit parade.
"I just felt good all day. We kind of joke around that I haven't hit one to the right of the batter's eye all year, so that was fun," said Alsup. "But we care more about winning games than having great stat lines, so I'm just happy I helped get the W."
Cook said it was good to see some other guys swing the bats well when the usual top hitters, Rhett Stokes and B.Y. Choi, are struggling.
"(Bernie Socarras) had some big hits, (Daniel Lizzaraga) had a big one in game one and a pinch hit home run," he said. "We're gonna need that because we can't expect Stokes and Choi to hit .550 all year. I think we missed some pitches we could've hit and we gave away some strikeouts looking. And maybe I'm being a little hard on my guys because we've hit so well all year, and Western has pitched well against good competition."
The two victories brought the Broncos' conference record to an even 5-5, with a chance to end the Spring Break week with a winning Western Junior College Athletic Conference record when they take on Western for another doubleheader at noon Sunday at NMMI Ballpark.