GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The Newman baseball team closed out its first weekend of play at the Air Hogs DII Classic Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against Missouri Western and Lubbock Christian.
The Jets got their day started by taking on MIAA opponent Missouri Western.
Samuel Hersh got the nod on the mound to start the contest, holding them to zero runs in the bottom of the first.
Newman would get the first run across in the bottom of the second, when
Brian Canfield crossed the plate on a Griffons error. Kobe Nguyen would drive in
Nick Griffin off a single through the left side to put the Jets up 2-0 after the top of the second inning.
Missouri Western would get on the board with three runs scored in the bottom of the second and one in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-2 lead after four complete innings. Nguyen would hit a solo home run to left field in top of the fifth inning and get the Jets within one run at 4-3.
The Griffons would pour it on in the bottom of fifth however by scoring eight runs to go up 12-3 after five innings.
Jacob Hamerle's fielder's choice got
Jordan Doan across home in the top of the seventh, which was score Newman's final run of Game 1. The final score against Missouri Western was 14-4.
The Jets would then take on conference foe Lubbock Christian who is ranked No. 6 in the nation in a nonconference matchup to close out the tournament. Newman would get out to a hot start to the contest by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning.
Canfield would drive in the first run of the contest off a double to left field, bringing Hamerle across the plate. Griffin would have a sacrifice fly that got
Aaron Mack home and
Daniel Jahnke singled to center field, which scored Canfield to put the score at 3-0 early on.
Bradley Altdoerffer got the start against the Chaparrals and had a one, two, three bottom of the first. Newman would tack on another run in the top of the second from a Mack sacrifice fly that drove in
Easton Herring from third, which made the lead 4-0.
Lubbock Christian scored one run in the bottom of the second and two runs in the bottom of the third to cut into the Jet lead after three complete innings. The Chaparrals would steal the lead from Newman in bottom of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead.
Lubbock Christian would add two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the sixth but Newman would get another run across in the top of the seventh when Hamerle scored off a Chaparral error to put the score at 7-5.
The Jets would have an opportunity in the top of the ninth to tie the game but left two men stranded on base and dropped the final game of the weekend to Lubbock Christian 7-5.
The Jets have almost two weeks off before taking on Wayne State on Feb. 18 at McCarthy Field for the home opener.
