Highlanders end T-Birds’ season again

NEWS-SUN PHOTO Tuck Tucker pitches for NMJC during a home game earlier this season. Saturday, Tucker threw the T-Birds final pitch of the 2018 season as NMJC was elimintaed from the NJCAA Region V Tournament.

As Yogi Berra once said, "it's déjà vu all over again."

Saturday afternoon, the New Mexico Junior College baseball team ended its season with a loss to McLennan College. It was the second straight year the Highlanders had ended the Thunderbirds' season at the NJCAA Region V Tournament.

The T-Birds had an 8-6 lead heading into the ninth, but lost 9-8 when McLennan scored three times in the top of the frame and NMJC couldn't push any runs across in the bottom of the frame. One year ago NMJC ended its season with a 9-2 loss to McLennan.

McLennan jumped out to an early lead in the first inning, but NMJC scored in the bottom of the second to tie the game. The Highlanders pushed runs across in the third and fourth to take a 3-1 lead. NMJC got one back in the fourth, but quickly gave two up in the fifth. By the bottom of the sixth, NMJC had closed its deficit to 5-4.

In the seventh, the T-Birds scored three times to take a 7-5 lead. McLennan got one back in the top of the eighth, but NMJC pushed another run across in the eighth, making in 8-6.

The T-Birds banged out 15 hits in the loss, but only four of them were for extra bases. Jake Dickerson and Avery Tuck each had triples while Joab Gonzalez and Daniel Hernandez both doubled.

Eight T-Birds were in the hit column and seven of them had multiple hits. Dickerson, and Gonzalez were both 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Colton Buckner was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Tuck and Soterio Ramirez both finished 2-for-5 with a run scored.

Anthony Montoya started the game and took the loss. Montoya pitched 5.2 innings, allowing seven hits and five runs, one of which was unearned. He walked two and struck out two while serving up one home run. Cade Acrey

pitched the next three innings, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out two. Like Montoya, Acrey also gave up a home run. The T-Birds final pitcher was Tuck Tucker. He pitched one-third of an innings, allowing one run on two hits and a home run.
New Mexico Junior College finishes the season at 40-16.