On Saturday afternoon New Mexico Military Institute concluded its four game series with Amarillo College at the NMMI Ballpark. The Broncos took game one 9-4, but stumbled in game four 13-3 after five innings. With the split the Broncos moved to 30-10 overall and 14-6 in WJCAC play. The Badgers move to 10-10 in conference play with a 17-22 overall record.
GAME 1
The Institute's bats came out firing in the bottom of the first. After Damwoo Kim and Joek Rivera Colon reached on consecutive singles, Seungmin Shin put NMMI on the board with a fielder's choice. The lead quickly doubled on a sacrifice fly from Kylian Bamberger, but the definitive blow came off the bat of Wonjae Cho, who launched a three-run home run to center field to cap the five-run frame.
NMMI extended the lead in the second inning as Eliseo Ramirez sparked another rally. Damwoo Kim drove him home with an RBI single before Joek Rivera Colon broke the game open with a towering two-run homer to center, pushing the advantage to 8-0.
On the mound, Trevor Johnson was dominant through the middle innings, keeping the Badgers off the scoreboard despite several base hits. Amarillo College finally found life in the top of the seventh when C. McClure blasted a grand slam to left field, cutting the deficit to five. However, the rally proved too little, too late. Jonathan Pickrel entered in relief to record the final out, securing the 9-4 win for the Institute.
GAME 2
Amarillo College established an early lead in the first inning when B. Carter doubled to drive in C. McClure. Though NMMI briefly stalled the momentum, the Badgers extended their advantage in the third behind a solo home run from A. Chasak. The Institute responded in the bottom half of the frame as Alec Guevara launched a two-run homer to center field, tying the game at 2-2. NMMI momentarily took a 3-2 lead following a pair of Amarillo errors, but the advantage was short-lived.
The wheels came off for the Institute in the fourth inning. Amarillo College exploded for six runs, aided by five walks and a wild pitch. The big blow came from G. Compton, who laced a two-run single to right field, pushing the Badger lead to 9-3. The onslaught continued in the fifth as Amarillo added four more runs. C. McClure and C. Giametta each contributed RBI singles, while additional runs crossed the plate via a passed ball and a costly infield error.
NMMI struggled to find an answer against Amarillo's E. Heyen, who kept the Institute's hitters off balance after the third-inning home run. Despite a late single from Seungmin Shin, the Institute could not string together the hits necessary to chip away at the deficit. Amarillo's disciplined approach at the plate—drawing ten walks on the day—proved to be the difference-maker in the contest.
UP NEXT
The Broncos return to action on Friday, April 10 when they take on Frank Phillips College in Borger, TX. First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for noon. The series concludes on Saturday with another doubleheader.