Junior right fielder Joseph Zubia hit the Eastern New Mexico baseball team’s first home run of the season, but the Hounds could not slow down Tarleton State’s red-hot bats in a 14-4 loss at Dickson Stadium on Friday.
It was a tough start to a four game non-conference series against the Texans (6-13) for the Hounds (7-6) as Eastern kept the game close until Tarleton State bats came alive late in the game.
The Texans jumped on the Hounds out of the gate, mashing a three-run homer to left field to take the early 3-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning.
The Hounds answered back in the top of the second when Zubia smashed the Greyhounds first home run of the season on a solo shot to left field to make it a 3-1 game.,
TSU got the run back in their half of the second on an RBI double and continued to add to their lead in the bottom of the third with a leadoff solo home run to increase the Texans advantage to 5-1.
Eastern chipped away in the top of the fourth when Zubia came around to score on a wild pitch after drawing a leadoff walk before Nicholas Ankerman crossed home plate on a Tarleton State error to make it a 5-3 game.
Tarleton State pulled back ahead by three on an RBI double in the fifth inning, but the Hounds answered right back in the top of the sixth as Ankerman scored on a wild pitch to close the gap back to two at 6-4.
However, that would be the closest the Greyhounds would come as the Texans closed out the game with eight unanswered runs over the final three frames to pull away with the 14-4 win in eight innings.
Zubia led the Eastern bats after going 2-for-3 from the plate with homer, a walk, two runs scored and the Hounds’ lone RBI. Ankerman also reached three times in the game, going 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch and a run.
Junior starter Fernando Burgos fell to 2-1 with his first loss of the season after throwing four innings and giving up five earned runs on eight hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
The Greyhounds will look to rebound tomorrow as Eastern will open a doubleheader at 1 p.m. against the Texans.