When Mother Nature intervened a couple weeks ago, it created a busy week for the Battle Mountain High School baseball team.
Battle Mountain made up a pair of games on Monday, April 8, in its home finale against Pershing County. The Mustangs collected wins in both ends of the doubleheader 11-4 and 17-11.
The Longhorns began a 12-game stretch on the road to close out the regular season at Sierra Lutheran this past weekend.
The Falcons won the first game on Friday 1-0, without the aid of a hit. Sierra Lutheran won the opener 14-4 on Saturday, with Battle Mountain claiming the series finale 6-3.
The victory ended an 11-game losing streak for Battle Mountain, who stands at 5-12 overall and 4-11 in the Northern 2A.
Sierra Lutheran 1, Battle Mountain 0
The opening game of the series proved to be a pitcher duel, as the Longhorns held the Falcons without a hit but lost 1-0.
The only run of the game was in the bottom of the third inning, as Sierra Lutheran took advantage of two walks and a hit by pitch to loaded the bases. One batter later, the Falcons scored on an error.
Colton Mills collected Battle Mountain’s first hit in the second inning but was left stranded.
Daniel Lara and Eric Fernandez added hits in the third and fifth innings but were left on base as well. Mills led off the seventh with his second hit of the game, with Sierra Lutheran retiring the next three batters.
Freshman Keegan Peasnall struck out five and walked five and allowed no hits and an unearned run.
Sierra Lutheran 14, Battle Mountain 4
Sierra Lutheran erased a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first inning to score nine runs in the mercy-rule win in Saturday’s first game. The Falcons added three runs in the third inning and ended the contest in the fifth inning.
Battle Mountain 6, Sierra Lutheran 3
In the series finale, Battle Mountain plated a pair of runs in the first inning and never trailed, building a 4-0 advantage in the fourth inning.
Mills got the scoring started with a single to score Angel Guadarrama and he eventually scored on an error.
An error and a dropped third strike, allowed the Longhorns to go in front 3-0 in the second inning and a bases-loaded walk to Mills in the fourth allowed Aiden Ruggles to score.
Lara and Mills each had three hits, with Wiatt Kelley, Travis Obieta, Ruggles and Guadarrama having one hit apiece. Kail Bengoa, Peasnall and Guadarrama split time on the mound.
Pershing County 11, Battle Mountain 4
In the first game of the doubleheader in Battle Mountain on April 8, Pershing County scored the first nine runs of the game when the Longhorns plated a single run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Kelley scored on an error by the Mustangs’ defense.
Guadarrama collected three of Battle Mountain’s six hits and Mills, Kelley and Obieta each with one hit. Peasnall and Lara shared time on the mound.
Pershing County 17, Battle Mountain 11
Pershing County appeared to be cruising to another easy victory, scoring the first seven runs of the game. Battle Mountain did not go down quietly, plating four runs in the third inning to close the gap to 7-4.
The Longhorns further cut into the advantage and trailed 11-10 going into the seventh inning when the Mustangs broke the game open once again.
Lara and Obieta had three hits apiece.
Battle Mountain heads to the Nevada/Utah border this weekend for a three-game series with league-leading West Wendover.