The Lowry High School began Northern 3A East play on a high, winning two of three games from Elko this past weekend on the Indians’ home field.
The Buckaroos won the opener 10-5 on Friday afternoon and split a doubleheader on Saturday, losing game one 12-6 and winning the finale 7-3.
The Buckaroos improved to 5-8 overall and 2-1 in the Northern 3A East.
Lowry 10,
Elko 5
Lowry took advantage of wildness from Elko pitching in the first inning on Friday, as Zach Fernandez, ReiCyan Grau and Marcus Montes all walked to lead off the game.
Later in the inning, Kaiden Boyles and Adam Brooks had singles, with a fielder’s choice by Brayden Dennis in between to give Lowry a 3-0 lead.
The Buckaroos used three consecutive singles from AJ Mendoza, Anthony Guzman and Fernandez to increase the margin to 4-0 in the second inning.
The Lowry offense continued its hot streak with three more runs in the third inning.
Boyles started the rally with a leadoff single and advanced to third after Brooks’ second hit of the game.
Moments later, Jordan Bills doubled home Boyles to make it 5-0 and Brooks plated the sixth run, scoring on a ground out by Mendoza. Bills came around to score on an error to increase the lead to 7-0.
Meanwhile, sophomore Marcus Montes kept Elko at bay, striking out eight Indian batters through four innings, including striking out the side in the third and fourth innings.
Elko finally got on the board in the fifth inning on the strength of a single and double. The Indians made it interesting with four runs in the sixth inning, but the Buckaroos added two insurance runs in the seventh inning.
Montes helped himself out with a leadoff double and scored one batter later as Boyles tripled. Boyles scored on a single by Bills.
Elko put a runner on base with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Montes got a fly out and strikeout to end the game. Montes earned the win in the complete-game effort, allowing five runs on five hits. He struck out 12 and walked two.
Boyles was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Brooks and Bills added two hits apiece. Fernandez, Montes, Mendoza and Guzman had one hit apiece.
Elko 12,
Lowry 6
Lowry got off to a quick start in the opener on Saturday, but saw its offense fizzle out the rest of the way. The first three batters of the game reached base and Lowry took a 1-0 lead when Fernandez scored on an error. The big blow of the frame was a bases-clearing triple by Erick Bergenheier to make the score 4-0.
The Buckaroos would not score again until the seventh inning. Lowry left the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth innings.
Elko trimmed the Lowry advantage to 4-3 in the second inning and ten turned the deficit into a 12-4 lead with nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Indians sent 14 batters to the plate in the sixth inning.
Lowry rallied for two runs in the seventh but the comeback fell short. Bergenheier, Montes, Boyles and Bills each had two hits for Lowry. Brooks started for Lowry and received a no-decision in five innings of work.
He allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits. He walked three and struck out one. Boyles took the loss in one inning of relief. He gave up eight runs (six earned) on nine hits.
Lowry 7,
Elko 3
Lowry got off to another quick start in the finale of the series, as Montes opened the contest with a triple and later scored on a single by Dennis.
Boyles, who walked in the first inning and Dennis came around to scored on a fielder’s choice by Bergenheier.
Elko got one of the runs back in the bottom of the third inning, when Lowry extended the lead to 4-1 in the fifth on a single by Fernandez and a double by Boyles.
The Indians closed the gap to 4-3 in the fifth inning, but the Buckaroos founds their offense in the seventh inning.
Lowry had four consecutive hits with two outs, including a single by Dennis, a triple by Bills and singles from Bergenheier and Kasyn Garner.
The first two batters for Elko reached in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Lowry was able to put out an Indian runner trying to score at the plate. The rally fizzled out from there.
Dennis had a team-high three hits and Bills and Garner each had two. Dennis collected the win in 5.1 innings of work.
He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He struck out four and walked one. Mendoza picked up the save in 1.2 innings of work. He allowed one hit and he walked two.
Lowry is off this weekend and returns to its home field on April 15 against Fernley.
