T-Bird rallies fall short, lose to McLennan at Region 5

LUBBOCK — The New Mexico Junior College baseball team dug itself a hole it couldn't get out of early in its winner's bracket matchup with McLennan as the Thunderbirds fell 5-3 Saturday at the Region 5 Tournament at Rip Griffin Park.

The Thunderbirds (39-19), who scored a run in the first on an RBI single by Travon Benton, surrendered four runs in the second inning on just two hits as two walks and two hit batters gave McLennan (33-18) its opportunities to score.

NMJC starter Mark Simon led off the inning by hitting Tucker Johnson. James Rudkin followed with an RBI double to tie the game 1-1.

Back-to-back walks loaded the bases before a single by Jon Tauzin gave the Highlanders a 2-1 advantage. A hit batter and a fielder's choice plated two more runs for McLennan to build a 4-1 lead on the T-Birds after two.

While Simon settled down after that, NMJC couldn't get a big inning going.

The T-Birds cut the lead in half in the fifth on a solo home run by Luis Pintor, but two innings later McLennan tacked on another run to make it 5-2.

NMJC got a two-out rally going in the top of the eighth as Austin Botello singled and Angel Vega and Jeff Deimling walked to load the bases.

NMJC's Zac Sanders followed with an infield single to score one to cut the deficit to 5-3, but the rally wouldn't last.

The T-Birds put two on with one out in the ninth, but couldn't plate the tying run and fell to the loser's bracket where it will face Grayson 10 a.m. Sunday in an elimination game.

Pintor went 2-for-4 to lead NMJC with an RBI and two runs. Seven other hitters had one hit, but the T-Birds couldn't string anything together.

Simon got the loss, going six innings and giving up five runs on six hits with four strikeouts, three walks and three hit batters.

Noah McGowan went 2-for-3 for McLennan with a double and a run while Dimas Ojeda also had two hits.

Reece Calvert picked up the win for the Highlanders, going seven innings and giving up two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Cole Ridgely came in to pick up the save – pitching a scoreless ninth.

McLennan faces the winner of Odessa and Midland 5 p.m. Sunday.