Baseball 2/17/2013 9:08:00 PM

Dustdevils Drop Series to UAFS

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS (February 17) – After pummeling the University of Arkansas Fort Smith in the series opener on Saturday, the Dustdevils dropped back-to-back games on Sunday suffering their first series loss of the season.

TAMIU came up just short in the early game losing 1-0, before the Lions exploded in the series finale for a 14-4 run-rule win.

Despite putting on one of the best performances by a TAMIU pitcher this season, junior Abdel Rivera took the loss in the opener. Rivera went seven full innings allowing only two hits with a strikeout and two walks, one of which proved to be the game winning run.

Dax Dupire drew a walk to leadoff the first and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Dupire then moved to third on a single by Madison Beaird before scoring the Lions only run of the game on a wild pitch. Rivera retired the next 12 straight batters and allowed only a single hit in the sixth before retiring the side.

UAFS junior Koby Chadick held TAMIU to just five hits in the opener with two strikeouts and three walks. Fernie Garza was thrown out at the plate in the top of the first and three more times TAMIU would put a runner on third without scoring a run.

Sean Smedley drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, before a sacrifice bunt by Jaron Shimmel moved pinch runner Ryan Jozwiak into scoring position. After Jozwiak advanced to third on a ground ball to the pitcher, Jeff Anderson came up with two away and a chance to even the game at one. Relief pitcher Hasten Freeman got Anderson to hit a weak grounder to third for the final out of the game.

UAFS jumped all over TAMIU pitching in the late game recording a season high 18 hits and scoring runs in each of the first five innings. Number three starter Manolo Mendoza made an early exit from the game allowing five runs on eight hits in only two innings of work. Relief pitching didn’t fare much better as Stephen Dickerson, Jared Curnel, and Ryan Williams combined to allow nine more runs on 10 hits over the next four innings.

UAFS led 5-2 before erupting for six runs in the bottom of the fourth on five hits to push its lead to 11-2.

After the Lions picked up another run in the fifth, TAMIU got two back in the sixth off an RBI single from Matt Garcia and an RBI ground out from Sean Smedley. UAFS would put the game away quickly however, adding two more in the seventh to end the game via the mercy rule.

Lions starter Neil Smith earned the win, allowing four runs – all earned – on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in six complete innings.

TAMIU had six hits in all led by designated hitter Lalo Gonzalez, who was 2 for 4 with one RBI and was the only Dustdevil with multiple hits.

The Dustdevils will take a step back from conference play on Tuesday hosting provisional member Oklahoma Christian University at 12 p.m. at Jorge Haynes Field. TAMIU returns to its conference schedule this weekend hosting a three-game set versus Newman University at Haynes Field.

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