COLLEGE BASEBALL: UTPB start anything but classic

When a baseball team has more errors than hits, and hits more batters than it strikes out, it usually adds up to a loss.

UTPB used that formula Friday morning in the first game of the UTPB Classic, recording only four singles while committing seven fielding errors and plunking seven Eastern New Mexico batters. The Falcons were abused by the Greyhounds as a result, falling 13-1 at Roden Field.

“You just can’t do that,” said UTPB coach Brian Reinke, adding that the seven hit batsmen might be a program record. “You’re going to lose, that’s the bottom line.”

UTPB starting pitcher Kyle Cormier cruised through the first three innings, striking out four batters and facing only two over the minimum, and the Falcons (1-3) gave him a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Christian Pitts drew a one-out walk, stole second base and advance to third on a throwing error, and then scored when Mike Briseno lined a two-out single to left field after fighting off four two-strike pitches.

The lead didn’t last long, though, because Eastern New Mexico (1-0) erupted for six runs in the top of the fourth on three hits, two errors, two hit batsmen, three stolen bases and three wild pitches. Cormier recorded only one out before giving way to Tanner Neuberger, who gave up a two-run sacrifice bunt to the first batter he faced, Tito Quinones.

“It felt real good,” Eastern New Mexico starting pitcher Andrew Martin said of the early run support. “It gave me that extra confidence that we were going to score and not let them come back after that.”

Martin, a senior right-hander from Washington, settled in and pounded the strike zone after being spotted with the big lead. He went 7.1 innings and allowed an unearned run and three hits, striking out two and working around four walks and a hit batsman.

Martin might have been able to hurl a complete game for the Greyhounds, but first-year coach Chris Terry pulled him for Joe Jones after Martin reached 100 pitches with one out in the eighth. Eastern New Mexico led 10-1 at that point.

“Outstanding job,” Terry said. “He surpassed even what we were hoping for and went out there and threw like a No. 1 pitcher and kept us in the game the whole time. And when we got a lead, he was going out and getting us back in the dugout. That was the key. He really didn’t give them an opportunity to have a lot of momentum on their side.”

The Greyhounds’ defense, and specifically center fielder Brooke Brooks, did their part to help. Eastern New Mexico didn’t commit any errors after the third inning and finished the game with a double play, and Brooks caught six fly balls and took away at least a few hits.

The speedy southpaw made a diving catch in left-center field in the second inning to rob Brian Brademan of an extra-base hit. Then, on back-to-back at-bats in the sixth, Brooks tracked down a Wilcox fly ball to the wall and charged a sinking liner by Fabian Rivera.

“Good player,” Reinke said of Brooks, who finished with two hits, two runs scored and two stolen bases offensively. “He did a really good job today. He played center field really well.”

The Falcons hit some other balls hard, but they generally went right to an Eastern New Mexico fielder. Briseno said that made for a frustrating day, and so did losing senior leader Hugo Hernandez to a left hand injury.

Reinke said Hernandez, a switch-hitting shortstop from Venezuela, hurt his glove hand while making a tag in the top of the fourth and told the UTPB coach he couldn’t grip the bat well enough to take his turn at the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Hernandez had his hand wrapped after the game and was scheduled to have an X-ray later Friday, according to Reinke.

With or without Hernandez, the Falcons will return to the field today for another tournament game. They face Tarleton State at 11 a.m. at Citibank Ballpark in Midland, and they hope to play a much cleaner game with a much different result.

“I’m not worried about it. I think our team’s fine,” Briseno said. “It’s just a little hiccup game, and we’ll come back and be ready to go again (today).”

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Eastern New Mexico 13, UTPB 1

ENMU............ 000  602 023   —   13    13     1

UTPB.............. 001  000 000   —     1      4     7

Andrew Martin, Joe Jones (8) and Dillon Downs. Kyle Cormier, Tanner Neuberger (4), Corey Blackmon (6), Ryan Vaughan (9) and Arturo Carrera, Scott Hastings (7). W — Martin (1-0). L — Cormier (0-1). 2B — ENMU: Dillon Downs.

Records — ENMU 1-0, UTPB 1-3.

2012 UTPB Classic

— Friday’s Games —

At UTPB’s Roden Field

UTPB 13, Eastern New Mexico 1

Eastern New Mexico 2, Incarnated Word 1

At American Legion Park

Tarleton State 11, Incarnate Word 4

New Mexico Highlands 4, Tarleton State 2

— Saturday’s Games —

At Citibank Ballpark, Midland

UTPB vs. Tarleton State, 11 a.m.

New Mexico Highlands vs. Incarnate Word, 2:30 p.m.

Southeastern Oklahoma State vs. West Texas A&M, 6 p.m.

At UTPB’s Roden Field

New Mexico Highlands vs. Eastern New Mexico, 10:30 a.m.

Tarleton State vs. Eastern New Mexico, 2:15 p.m.

At American Legion Park

Incarnate Word vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State, 10:30 a.m.

— Sunday’s Games —

At UTPB’s Roden Field

UTPB vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State, 10:30 a.m.

West Texas A&M at UTPB, 2 p.m.

At American Legion Park

West Texas A&M vs. New Mexico Highlands, 10:30 a.m.