Gold Rush split with Mustangs on road

HOBBS, N.M. — Juan Gonzalez gave his best pitching performance of the season, and Courtland Posey swung with record-setting power Friday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana in a 14-2 Red River Athletic Conference baseball victory against Southwest in the second game of a doubleheader.

One swing of the bat prevented a Gold Rush sweep. Andru Sanchez’s first-inning grand slam sparked the Mustangs to a 5-3 victory in the opener.

XULA (12-12 overall, 4-10 RRAC) and Southwest (15-12, 4-7) will meet at noon MDT Saturday to complete their three-game series.

Gonzalez, XULA’s tallest player at 6-feet-7, was 0-4 with a 10.66 ERA in his first six starts this season. But the right-hander worked a season-high six innings and allowed two hits, both singles, and two earned runs. He walked four and hit four batters. Gonzalez struck out just one batter for the third consecutive game, but more importantly, he found ways to record outs and stay hot on a day when the first-pitch wind chill was in the upper 30s and never climbed higher than 45.

The Gold Rush offense, led by Posey’s two home runs and six RBIs, supported Gonzalez with ease. Posey became the third in XULA baseball’s second era (2021-present) to homer twice — Tristan Rodriguez did it at home against Tougaloo in 2021, Mark Herron did it at Wiley in 2022 — and the second to drive home six in a road game. Jeremy Moore, at Stillman in 2021, had the other six-RBI road performance.

Posey reached base safely four times in the second game. He also doubled and walked. Cohen Boyd and D’Aires Davis had two RBIs apiece, and Boyd, Davis, Deionte Norris and Skyler Roberts had two hits apiece. Roberts tripled, and Boyd doubled.

Norris had two hits and two RBIs for XULA in the first game.

NOTES: Posey’s previous high for RBIs in a game was three — four times in 2022 and twice in 2021 . . . Norris holds the XULA second-era record for RBIs in a game with seven. He did that at home against Texas College in 2022 . . . XULA’s first era of intercollegiate athletics, including baseball, ended in May 1960 . . . The Gold Rush are 5-2 in road games this season.

Some highs of XULA baseball’s second era (2021-present)

RBIs in a game
7 — Deionte Norris vs. Texas College (home), April 1, 2022
6 — Courtland Posey vs. Southwest (N.M.) (away), March 17, 2023 (second game)
6 — Mark Herron vs. Texas College (home), April 2, 2022
6 — D’Aires Davis vs. Tougaloo (home), Feb. 5, 2022
6 — Jeremy Moore vs. Stillman (away), Feb. 26, 2021
5 — Trae Hall vs. Texas College (home), April 2, 2022
5 — Kabrel Johnson vs. Texas College (home), April 1, 2022
5 — Co Co Simoneaux vs. LSU-Alexandria (away), March 26, 2022 (second game)
5 — Tristan Rodriguez vs. Tougaloo (home), March 12, 2021

Home runs in a game
2 — Courtland Posey vs. Southwest (N.M.) (away), March 17, 2023 (second game)
2 — Mark Herron vs. Wiley (away), March 19, 2022 (second game)
2 — Tristan Rodriguez vs. Tougaloo (home), March 12, 2021