The University of the Southwest Baseball team took on the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State University over the weekend here at Jake Williams Field. The four-game series was the second of the year for the Mustangs after the previous weekend's scheduled contests were canceled due to weather. These two teams squared off a year ago in Goodwell, OK on the campus of OPSU and the two teams split the series 2-2. This year the Mustangs were able to get the better of the Aggies winning the series 3-1. The Mustangs dropped game 1 of the series but were able to rally and take the next three contests to win the series. 
 
After the series, Head Coach Steve Appel said "I thought the guys responded well after coming out a little flat in game 1. Our bats really came to life in game 2 and our arms really threw well in the remainder of the games. Our young pitching staff will have to learn that they set the tone. If they give our lineup a chance to compete each game, this team could be really good."
 
Game 1: The Mustangs fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first and were down 6-1 after the top of the fourth. They would not let up however, they added three in the bottom half of the fourth to bring the score to 6-4. OPSU would extend its lead again in the top of the 6^th to 8-4 and the Mustangs responded with two of their own on an RBI triple from Gabriel Perez-Torres and an RBI single from Tariq Levesque. The Aggies again extended their lead to 10-6 after scoring two in the top of the seventh. The Mustangs added two in the bottom of the 7^th on a pinch-hit RBI triple by Andru Sanchez and a sac fly by Omar Baldenegro but were unable to come all the way back, dropping the contest 10-8. The Mustangs collected 14 hits in the contest en route to the 8 runs scored. Senior Brian Rodriguez was 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored, Perez-Torres was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Levesque was 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Derrick Martinez went 2 for 4 in the contest and senior Nicholas Palomino went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored. 
 
Game 2: The Mustangs dominated the contest from the first pitch, getting out to an 18-0 lead at one point. The offensive show was paired with a dominant effort from sophomore starter AJ Cordova who carried a perfect game into the 5^th inning where a pair of errors and a couple of hits allowed the Aggies to get on the board. Cordova finished with 5 innings, 2 hits,  0 earned runs, 7 strikeouts, and collected the win. The game was called after 5 innings due to the sun going down at Jake Williams's field with the Mustangs winning 18-4. The Mustangs collected 19 hits in the contest with 7 players having multi-hit games. Omar Baldenegro was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Brian Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 2 RBI's, Tariq Levesque was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's and a home run, and Caden Ledbetter was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Andru Sanchez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI, Nicholas Palomino was 3 for 3 with 4 RBI's and a home run, and Jesus Baldonado was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's and a run scored. 
 
Game 3: The Mustangs came into game three with Freshman Rocky Sanchez on the mound. He surrendered a run in the first inning but was lights out the rest of the game. He went 6 innings allowed 4 hits, 1 run, collected 6 strikeouts, and earned the victory in the contest. The Mustang offense was only able to tally 4 hits in the contest but was able to draw 4 walks and take advantage of some Aggie Mistakes to score four runs in the contest. Cade Contreras was able to earn the save by coming in with two outs in the top of the seventh and picking up a big strikeout with runners on first and second. The Mustangs won the contest by a score of 4-2. 
 
Game 4: The Mustangs entered the contest with a series victory on their mind. Sophomore Cody Stone took the ball on the Mound for the Mustangs and continued where Cordova and Sanchez had left off in games 2 and 3. He tossed 6 innings of 2 hit ball, not allowing a run, striking out 7, and picked up the victory. The offense was able to chip away throughout the game, Caden Ledbetter singled in 2 runs in the bottom of the 2^nd to make the score 2-0. In the 4^th the Mustangs were able to add four on a pair of RBI singles from Omar Baldenegro and Gabriel Perez-Torres and a 2 RBI single from Tariq Levesque to make the score 6-0. Perez-Torres struck again in the 5^th with a 2 RBI single to make the score 8-0. The Mustangs would win the game by the same score after the game was called after 6 innings due to lack of sunlight. Omar Baldenegro was 2 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored, Perez-Torres was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI's, and Levesque was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and a walk. Caden Ledbetter was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's and Kevin Rase was 2 for 2 with a run scored in the contest. The Mustangs finished an impressive 14 for 27 as a team in the game. 
 
Regarding the performance Coach Appel said "We needed some good momentum going into our opening conference weekend and that's exactly what they did. We executed a ton of small ball on day 2, I think everyone can see how dangerous this lineup can be when they are clicking on all cylinders" and added "This team isn't the most talented group; however, they will find ways to outwork and out-compete their opponents most of the time. They are really a fun group to be around."
 
The Mustangs now sit at (7-2) as they head into conference play next weekend. They will travel to Hawkins, TX to take on Jarvis Christian College for a 3 game set on Friday and Saturday.