CANYON, Texas - Adams State Baseball dropped its series opening game Friday afternoon to the No. 10 West Texas A&M Buffs on the road. The Buffs downed the Grizzlies 14-1 in seven innings to secure win at home.
The Grizzlies (0-4) lone run of the day did not come until the fourth inning. The Buffs (5-0) managed to put up seven runs in that span to lead 7-1 going into the fifth inning. They added their final seven runs in the fifth to end the game early and grab the series lead at 1-0.
Both squads came out strong on defense as they both worked a 1-2-3 inning to keep the scoreboard at 0-0 going into the second. The Grizzlies threatened in the getting a runner to second in
Orlando Romero but were left stranded.
The bottom of the second inning saw West Texas A&M put up three runs to grab the lead and they never relinquished it. A leadoff walk got the home team started as a double and a triple both to center field got the first two runs on the board. A balk brought in the third run before Adams State closed out the inning.
Erik Hildebrandt got on base with a single through the left side in the top of the third. He then managed to steal second base to get in scoring position with two outs but once again the Buffs left him stranded to maintain a three-run lead.
The Buffs extended their lead to 7-0 with four runs on three hits in the bottom of the third. The Grizzlies managed to get two outs in the first three at bats but the Buffs then ripped off three straight hits, including back-to-back doubles to score their four runs for the two-out rally.
Nico Nintze scored the lone run for Adams State in the fourth with a deep triple to right center field. Romero then hit a sacrifice fly to center field for the RBI to bring Nintze across home plate.
West Texas A&M was held scoreless in the bottom of the fourth but quickly worked a 1-2-3 inning to start the fifth to get back on offense. They added their final seven runs on the day with all of them coming in the bottom of the fifth on seven hit and one error from Adams State.
The Buffs started the inning with three straight hits to score the first two runs. Following a fielding error from the Grizzlies, they then added five more runs, with two being unearned. The score remained at 14-1 the rest of the way as the game was ended after seven on a run-rule.
Dakota Solis was 2-2 on the day to lead the Grizzlies in hits. Nintze was 1-2 on the day with a run scored and was walked once. Romero collected the RBI and was also walked once. Hildebrandt had one hit in three at bats.
David Maldonado (0-2) got the start on the hill and worked four complete innings. He fanned four batters and allowed seven runs, all earned, on seven hits.
Jaxxon Fagg led the Buffs hitting charge going a perfect 3-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. Christian Loya was 2-3 and scored two runs along with a RBI. Kyle Kaufman had two hits in two at bats with three runs scored. Darius Carter also had two hits with a pair of runs and two RBI. Joe Corbett (1-0) picked up the win on the hill in his start. he pitched six innings and struck out 10 batters while allowing one earned run and four hits.
The Grizzlies and Buffs will play a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. First pitch for each game is set for 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, inside Wilder Park.
