On Sunday afternoon, New Mexico Military Institute defeated Lamar 9-1 in the series finale at the NMMI Ballpark. Splitting the series, the Broncos improve to 10-6 while Lamar moves to 7-11 on the year.
After a scoreless first inning, the Broncos wasted no time in the home half of the second to start their offensive rhythm. Orvic Martinez Cid reached first as he picked up his second hit of the series. After loading the bases with a pair of walks, Martinez was able to score a run with a passed ball to give NMMI a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Seojun Oh opened up with a lead-off triple – his second of the season. After loading the bags with a walk and a hit by pitch, Jose Rodriguez Mestre recorded a sac-fly to help Oh cross home plate and put the Broncos ahead 2-0. The hot hand, Martinez tallied his first collegiate RBI with single to give NMMI a three-run cushion.
The Broncos opened the bottom of the fifth inning by loading the bases with a single by Rodriguez Mestre and a pair of walks. Hitting eighth in the lineup, Cinco Holloway tallied his second collegiate RBI with a single to left field. In the next two at bats, the Broncos scored a pair of runs with a walk and a fielder's choice to make it a 6-0 ball game.
In the sixth, Lamar was able to score a run with a RBI single by Daniel Terrazas. In the home half of the sixth, NMMI responded with a run to increase their lead to 7-1. In the seventh inning, Joek Rivera Colon tallied his 21 hit of the season to get on base. An out later, Wonjae Cho put an end the game with an RBI to earn to 9-1 run-rule win after seven innings.
Head coach Chris Cook on the win, "you never want to split a series, especially at home. But how the first two games went, this is the best way to finish it off," Cook said. "TJ was great on the mound today, it shows what you can do when you have three pitches and you're locating them. He did a great job of getting his breaking ball down and elevating his fast ball when he need to," Cook said.
The Broncos return to action next weekend as they open conference play. NMMI takes on New Mexico Junior College, starting Friday, March 7 with a doubleheader at noon. The four-game series concludes Saturday afternoon with another double header.