The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Drop Doubleheader at New Mexico State
February 28 | Baseball
Two-out rallies and home runs from the opposition proved too much for the UA baseball team this evening as the Zips dropped both games of the doubleheader against New Mexico State at Presley Askew Field.
The Zips fell to 2-4 overall with the losses while the Aggies
improved to 3-4 on the young season.
Andrew Brown (1-1) suffered
the loss for Akron in game one as Akron lost 8-3. Brown lasted just
five and two third innings, allowing seven runs (just four earned)
on 10 hits with a pair of strikeouts. Thomas Brendel (1-0) earned
the win for New Mexico State and kept UA batters off balance,
surrendering three earned runs on six hits while striking out
five.
New Mexico held a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth before the Zips managed a run courtesy of a Brian Kordal RBI-double to left center which scored Kyle Hallett from first, cutting the deficit to two. The Aggies would respond with a run in the bottom stanza on a RBI-single to right, pushing the game to 4-1 in the home team's favor.
The Zips added a pair of runs on a two-run Hallett homer atop
the sixth to draw within one (4-3) but once again, NMSU would rally
in the home half of the frame with three more runs-two of which
came with two outs, to extend the lead to 7-3. New Mexico added the
final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh on a sac-fly
RBI, accounting for the game one final, 8-3.
Zach Yike and Danny
Fawcett each took the mound in game one. Yike went 1.1 innings
and surrendered a run and a hit, striking out one.
Offensively, Hallett led the Zips with a 1-for-3 performance, driving in two RBI's on his first home run of the season and Turocy finished with a pair of hits, including a double. Kordal notched a RBI-double and freshman Samuel Trecaso recorded his first career hit in game one of today's doubleheader.
Game two appeared to start out favorably for the Zips but would also end on a sour note. Despite outhitting New Mexico State 12-10 the Aggies won the battle of the long ball, pounding three home runs in comparison to just one from Akron.
The Zips jumped out to a short-lived 2-0 lead in the first. Kevin
Haas led off with a single up the middle and Drew
Turocy followed with a double to put runners at the corners. Jake
Plata's groundout scored Haas from third and Hallett drove
Turocy in on a single to left but a pair of groundouts would close
out the frame.
New Mexico State responded in the second inning when UA starter Scott
Foster (0-1) worked himself into trouble. With two outs and
bases loaded, Foster walked in a run before the Aggies cleared the
bases on a two-RBI single and RBI-double, taking the 4-2 lead.
Turocy registered his second double on the day to start the third and was driven in on a Plata RBI-single to right before a Hallett single drove him in as the Zips evened things up at four runs apiece.
NMSU added three runs in the fourth inning on a three-run homer to center and repeated the act in the fifth on a two-run homer to dead center to extend its lead to 9-4, chasing Foster from the game. An Aggie solo home run in the sixth made it 10-4 as Kevin Kumazec gave up his lone run of the night before settling in to record two strikeouts and retire the side.
Turocy launched a home run of his own-his first this season on a shot to center, providing the 10-5 final in the shortened contest (seven innings). Turocy paced the UA lineup, finishing 3-for-4 with a RBI and three runs scored while Hallett was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs and a walk. Freshman James Sheltrown was 1-for-3 in registering his first career hit in the night cap.
Akron and New Mexico close out the four-game series tomorrow with a 3:05 pm ET contest.
