Benavidez, De Hoyos combine for 5 homers in Badgers 0-4 showing against NMJC
Amarillo College suffered their second conference series defeat of the season on Friday and Saturday in Hobbs against New Mexico Junior College.
The defending Western Junior College Athletic Conference champion swept the Badgers for the second consecutive year.
Despite the 0-4 showing last weekend, Amarillo College tallied a .347 batting average, a .663 slugging percentage, and hit seven home runs in the series.
Freshman David De Hoyos led AC with a .667 batting average (6-of-9) and 1.444 slugging percentage. The third baseman hit two home runs – marking his second series of the season with two homers – and tallied six RBIs.
Redshirt freshman outfielder Chris Benavidez hit three home runs and ranked third on the team in batting average (.583). The Bryan, Texas native’s performance was highlighted by a homer in the first at-bat of the series.
Freshman second baseman Payton Bush had his most productive WJCAC series at the plate. The Randall High School alum recorded a .600 average (6-of-10) via five singles and a double.
Sophomore Sydney Ward hit four doubles in nine at-bats to finish the weekend in Hobbs with a .444 average.
Fellow upperclassman Grant Watkins added another home run to his lofty resume, moving his team-best homer total to 16. The homer total ranks ninth in NJCAA D-I.
Amarillo College moved into sixth place in the WJCAC standings following its series against New Mexico Junior College.
The Badgers have an 11-13 conference record and 23-19 overall record.
Up next for Amarillo College is the final home series in Amarillo. The Badgers will play Odessa College at Sandie Field, April 19-20, beginning at noon each day.
Admission is free for AC’s final four-game homestand.
The following is a summary of each game.
Game 1
AC outhit the Thunderbirds 9-3 in game one, but fell to NMJC in improbable fashion by the score of 5-3.
The home team plated five runs in the fourth inning via four walks, three batters getting hit by a pitch, and one hit.
Benavidez hit a home run during the first at-bat of the contest and Ward doubled following the Badger leadoff hitter’s solo shot.
Bush recorded a two-out single on a line drive to centerfield but Ward stopped at third on the play. AC led 1-0 after one inning.
Watkins’ two-run homer, which followed a Ward double, extended the Badgers lead to 3-0 in the third inning.
AC stranded four baserunners in the final three innings combined.
Bret Deegan made his 10th start of the season on the mound for the Badgers. The freshman allowed five earned runs, one hit, and struck out four batters in 3.2 innings.
Gabe Watson relived Deegan in the fourth inning. He allowed two hits, recorded three HBP, and struck out two batters.
Freshman Carter Beard recorded AC’s final four outs of the seven-inning contest on the hill. The Abilene native tallied one strikeout and allowed no hits.
Game 2
The Thunderbirds plated 18 runs in four innings to win game two via run rule (18-3).
Badger pitchers gave up 15 hits over the span of four innings – the staff’s second-highest total of the season – during the loss.
Evan Peterson, Cam Saleh, and Remington Spoerl tallied one strikeout apiece on the mound. Peterson made his first weekend start and allowed nine earned runs in 1.2 innings.
Saleh pitched the remainder of inning two and the third frame before Spoerl was placed on the hill. Saleh allowed four earned runs.
Spoerl made his fifth pitching appearance of the season in the final inning of game two. The freshman allowed three earned runs.
Benavidez and De Hoyos led the Badgers at the plate with two hits each.
Game 3
Logan Tibbett hit his first home run as a Badger in game three, but the Thunderbirds hit four homers of their own and outhit AC 12-8 en route to a 15-5 victory.
New Mexico Junior College plated three runs in the first frame, two in the second, five in the fifth, and four in the sixth to end the contest via run rule in six innings.
De Hoyos was a perfect 2-of-2 at the plate to pace the Badgers offensively. Ward hit a pair of doubles for the second consecutive game.
Freshman Duncan Bowles, who has been the Badgers game three starter on the mound throughout the season, recorded five strikeouts and allowed nine earned runs in 4.1 innings.
Colton Klemke had one strikeout and allowed six earned runs during the fifth frame.
Game 4
New Mexico Junior College hit four home runs in the first inning and plated eight runs as a result to take a commanding lead heading into the second frame.
Amarillo College plated six runs and tallied nine hits in the next four innings but the Thunderbirds offense outpaced the Badgers to win the series finale 17-6 in five innings.
Bush tallied a team-high three hits for AC. David De Hoyos hit his second home run of the series during the defeat while Benavidez added his third homer of the four-game set.
Noah Turner, Bryce Gilchrist, and Isaac Garza threw 1.1 innings each for AC. Turner got the start and allowed nine earned runs.
Gilchrist struck out two batters and allowed three hits. Garza ended the game with one strikeout and allowed one earned run.