Westmont baseball splits doubleheader with Mustangs

By RON SMITH WESTMONT SPORTS WRITER

Westmont Baseball (34-8, 17-4

GSAC), ranked 11th in the NAIA, will enter the last weekend of the regular season with a one game lead over sixth-ranked Hope International (27-7, 16-5) after splitting with The Master’s (27-13, 11-10) in Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Warriors won the first game 14-9 to clinch the series victory, but fell in the second game 2-0. Westmont and Hope International will both finish the season with road games to Arizona. The Warriors will play a three-game series at Ottawa (1424-1, 6-14-1) beginning on Friday while the Royals will take on the Firestorm of #25 Arizona Christian (26-17, 11-10).

In Saturday’s early game, Chase Goddard improved to 7-1 on the season despite giving up eight runs on nine hits in five and one-third innings of play. Sean Youngerman gave the Warriors two innings of work, allowing one run on two hits while striking out three. Aidan Holly finished up the game for the Warriors, pitching one and two-third scoreless innings. Holly retired all five batters he faced, striking out three.

Westmont scored in seven of the nine innings. In the top of the first, the Warriors put up a two on the scoreboard courtesy of a two-RBI single to left by Ryan DeSaegher that drove in Robbie Haw and Brady Renck. DeSaegher went three for six at the plate with five RBIs and a run scored.

The Warriors added two more in the second, the first on an infield single by Trey Dunn that drove in Shane Hofstadler from third and the second on an RBI fielder’s choice that scored Michael Soper.

Hofstadler’s solo home run in the third inning put the Warriors up five runs to four - a lead they did not relinquish.

As they had in the first inning, Haw and Renck both produced hits to start off the inning. Haw had a single to left and Renck a double to right center. Renck went four for four at the plate in the game with two walks, three runs and three RBIs. With three games to go, he is the current leader for the GSAC batting title with an average of .416.

Renck’s double gave Westmont runners at second and third with no one out and brought up DeSaegher who doubled to right for his fourth and fifth RBIs of the game. After a pitching change, Bryce

McFeely was hit by a pitch before Parker O’Neil delivered an RBI-single to center to drive in DeSaegher and advance O’Neil to third. McFeely later scored on a wild pitch.

Soper drove in two Warrior runs in the sixth inning when his single to center brought home Liam Critchett and O’Neil.

The seventh inning saw two more runs scored when a home run by Renck made the score 138. The two-run blast produced the 157th run scored by the senior second baseman, tying him for the career record with a former Warrior second baseman, Michael Stefanic.

Westmont’s final run of the first game came in the eighth when Renck walked with the bases loaded.

In the second game, Eric Osegura suffered his first loss of the season. Though he gave up just two runs on six hits in five innings of work, the senior right-hander did not get any run support. The game marked the first time the Warriors – who tallied just two hits - have been shutout this season.

Westmont’s best chance to score came in the second inning with runners on second and third and one away. Two strikeouts later,

Rio Grande Valley border agents assaulted while apprehending tens of thousands a week

By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) – Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol agents continue to be assaulted by foreign nationals illegally entering the U.S.

Despite this and other challenges, agents are apprehending tens of thousands of illegal foreign nationals a week, and seizing hundreds of pounds of fentanyl, meth and cocaine, over $1 million in currency, weapons and stolen vehicles.

They are also apprehending known sex offenders, those with open warrants and convicted murderers.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, who’s testified under oath more than once that there’s a crisis at the southern border and Border Patrol agents have no operational control over it, has increasingly been reporting on RGV Sector agent success stories.

The sector covers more than 320 river miles, 250 coastal miles and 19 Texas counties.

Chief Ortiz reported Friday that despite four agents being assaulted over the past week, RGV agents overall apprehended 34,124 illegal foreign nationals and reported at least 10,866 known gotaways. Gotaways are those who evade capture by law enforcement and made their way into the U.S and their whereabouts are currently unknown. Agents also seized $80,500 worth of cash, 580 pounds of marijuana, 202 pounds of fentanyl, 15 pounds of meth, two pounds of heroin, two pounds of cocaine, and 10 firearms. They also arrested 14 sex offenders, nine known gang members and four individuals with open arrest warrants.

This total includes the data he reported a day earlier.

On April 13, within a 24-hour period, he said RGV agents apprehended 5,400 illegal foreign nationals

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