HOBBS, NM---The USW Mustang Baseball program took on receiving votes Wayland Baptist over the weekend in a 4-game series with each team hosting a doubleheader. The Pioneers hosted the first two games on Saturday which saw USW take Game 1 8-4 and WBU win Game 2 by the score of 14-2. With the Mustangs hosting the final two games on Sunday, Wayland Baptist won Game 3 of the series 10-4 and USW walked off the Pioneers in Game 4, winning 2-1. The series split leaves the Mustangs record at 6-6 on the year, but Head Coach Steve Appel is pleased with this weekend against a quality opponent. "It shows that we can play with anybody. We knew that without a traditional fall we didn't know how things would go as a team aspect. We learned some things in Game 3 and had a team talk in the indoor facility. We just have to play the games within our team and nobody else. We have to do the little things right, respect the game and the opponent, don't try to get bigger than the element, then good things will happen." 

The Mustangs took Game 1 of the series thanks in part to a 3-run inning in the top of the 1st. The Mustang would score all 3 runs with 2 outs and would add another run in the top of the 2nd. USW had 4 hitters with 2 hits in the contest and got 2 huge insurance runs in the top of the 7th thanks to a Bobby Galindo 2-run homer. Caden Ledbetter drove in 3 runs on the day and AJ Cordova earned the win, throwing 4.1 innings allowing 7 hits and striking out 7. 

The fourth and final game of the series saved all it's excited for the final inning. Starter Bo Sims dazzled in his first career start throwing 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 9. "I think it was one of the best performances I've ever seen. Now he knows he has some things to work on and grow, really polish some things up. I think we've given him some confidence that he can be a great pitcher. Overall against a good hitting team like Wayland, to get a save and a win in the same weekend, we can't ask for anything for from a young man" said Appel on the performance of his Game 4 starter. 

USW and WBU had plenty of chances to score, but required extra innings for the offenses to push across some runs. Wayland Baptist scored 1 run in the top of the 8th off an error. But USW mounted the comeback in the bottom of the 8th. Brian Rodriguez walked with 1 out and was followed up by Kevin Rase singling up the middle for his 3rd hit of the game. After a wild-pitch moved both runners up to 2nd and 3rd, Wayland Baptist elected to intentionally walk 3-hole hitter Gavy Perez-Torres to load the bases. Senior Bobby Galindo came to the plate and quickly got into an 0-2 count. Galindo would then send a fastball on a line past the diving first-basemen scoring Brian Rodriguez and pinch-runner Dair Ornelas, walking-off Wayland Baptist to split the series. 

The Mustangs will face off with WBU 2 more times this spring season and Coach Appel and company love being the underdog against great teams. "I've carried the 'David & Goliath' with me everywhere I've been. We have to rebuild every aspect of the program. We never have the most scholarship money, or the biggest and fastest kids, the guys that hit it over the fence. We have to find ways to outwork our opponents. It starts with me, then trickles down to my assistants, and that's what we do. We have to keep the blue-collar mentality and I don't want it any other way." said Appel.