LAREDO, Texas — Texas A&M International split a Saturday doubleheader against Eastern New Mexico, rallying for a dramatic Game 1 win before dropping the nightcap at Jorge Haynes Field.
Game 1: TAMIU 9, Eastern New Mexico 7
TAMIU erased a four-run deficit with a six-run sixth inning to stun Eastern New Mexico, 9-7, in the opener.
Trailing 7-3 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Dustdevils capitalized on defensive miscues and timely hitting. Ciro Benavides sparked the rally with a two-run double, while Derek Garcia followed with an RBI single to tie the game. Fabrizio Salinas then delivered the go-ahead blow with an RBI double, and a wild pitch brought home an insurance run to cap the inning.
Salinas led TAMIU offensively, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Benavides drove in two runs and scored once. Garcia added a run and an RBI, and Eduardo Espinoza chipped in with a two-hit effort.
On the mound, RJ Patrick earned the win in relief, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings to close it out after strong early efforts from Rudy Guardiola and Sota Inden.
Eastern New Mexico built its early lead behind a 12-hit performance, including a three-RBI outing from Adrien Martin and a strong day from Eiji Sawamura.
Game 2: Eastern New Mexico 9, TAMIU 0
Eastern New Mexico bounced back in the second game, shutting out TAMIU 9-0 behind a dominant pitching performance.
The Greyhounds broke the game open with a four-run second inning and never looked back, adding a run in the fifth and four more in the sixth.
Nick Mooney led the way on the mound for ENMU, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing six hits.
Offensively, Eiji Sawamura drove in three runs, while Cole Curtis added a solo home run as part of a balanced attack.
TAMIU collected eight hits in the loss, with Roberto Chaparro and Asahi Nakano each recording multi-hit efforts, but the Dustdevils were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Fabrizio Salinas is a freshman Infielder/Pitcher for Texas A&M International University and is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration/ Finance. A native of Mission,TX, Fabrizio is the Son of Erasmo and Jovita Salinas and was born August 29, 2007.
Salinas provided a steady offensive spark, highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance in Game 1. His go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning proved to be the decisive hit in TAMIU's comeback victory.
