SAN ANGELO - The Angelo State baseball team fell just short of the four-game sweep of Eastern New Mexico in a three-run loss on Sunday at Foster Field at First Community Credit Union Stadium.
The Rams (12-2) racked up nine runs on 11 hits in the matchup but it was not enough as the Greyhounds (15-4) got 12 runs on 14 hits of their own.
Eastern New Mexico started the scoring early, getting three runs in the top of the first off of ASU starting pitcher Kenton Schroter. The Rams responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, however, as Elias Aguirre was hit by a pitch, and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.
Both ENMU and ASU scored again in the second inning, as Endy Villanova homered over the left field wall for the Greyhounds. Angelo State got two runs of its own when Tyler Coolbaugh led off with a double and scored on a double from Mitch Henshaw, and Henshaw came around to score on another wild pitch, but the Rams were still down 6-3 at the end of the second.
ASU scored again in the third when Steven Pinales launched his second home run of the season over the left field wall, cutting the deficit to just two runs. ENMU scored again in the fourth and fifth to increase their lead, while ASU just got one run in the fifth.
The fourth inning also saw the season debut for Ram pitcher Logan Voth. The junior out of El Paso pitched one inning on the day, giving up one hit and striking out two.
The Rams got another two runs in the bottom of the sixth to match the two ENMU had scored in the top half of the inning, keeping the Greyhound lead at five runs. Those two runs in the top of the sixth would be the last Eastern New Mexico scored in the game.
Dustin Angiel started the sixth inning on the mound and gave up one of the two runs in that inning, but ended up pitching a shutout seventh and getting two more outs in the eighth. Angiel gave up just two hits in his outing and struck out three batters overall. Joe Hauser came in for the final out of the eighth and finished the ninth as well.
ASU got the first two batters on in the bottom half of the eighth inning as Henshaw and freshman Nick Novack both singled. Henshaw tagged up and advanced to third on a fly ball from Jonathan Soberanes and eventually scored on a groundout from Elias Aguirre.
Henshaw scored three runs overall on the day while going 3-for-4 at the plate. Aguirre had the second most hits for the Rams in the games and getting a team-high two RBI.
Hauser pitched another scoreless inning in top half of the ninth, bringing up the Rams' last chance. Catcher Matt Waller led off the inning with home run over the left field wall, bringing the Rams within three runs. ASU got another baserunner when Henshaw singled up the middle, but the Rams were unable to complete the comeback, losing 12-9.
Angelo State will be on the road for their next series, as they go on the road to Odessa to take on Texas Permian Basin in a four-game series starting Friday, March 10 and lasting through the weekend.
