Carvajal dominant, Matadors split doubleheader

The Arizona Western Matadors Baseball team (73, 1-1) opened ACCAC play with a doubleheader split with EAC (7-5, 1-1), winning game one 1-0 before falling in game two 19-2 on Tuesday at Walt Kammann Field.

Jorge Carvajal tossed a complete game shutout in game one, surrendering just two hits,striking out a season-high eight batters.

The lone run of the game came in the second inning when Wesley Estrella doubled and later stole third base, scoring on an errant throw that wound up in left field to give the Matadors the 1-0 lead.

Carvajal kept the Gila Monsters off the board, retiring the final 13 batters of the game to secure the 1-0 victory, earning his third win of the season.

Reece Longstaff doubled and Noah Roberts singled, each going 1-for-3 in the win while Estrella finished the game 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored.

Eastern Arizona jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two before Longstaff cut the deficit in half by belting his first home run of the season, a solo shot to center to trim the Gila Monsters’ lead to 2-1.

After the Gila Monsters scored three more runs in the top of the third inning, Noah Roberts led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single and later came home to score on an error to pull the Matadors to within three runs at 5-2.

Eastern Arizona scored the next 14 runs of the game to pull away from the Matadors.

Longstaff finished the game 1-for-4 with the home run while Roberts went 1-for-3 with a single and was hit by a pitch.

The Matadors head out on the road on Saturday, heading to Coolidge, Ariz. for a doubleheader with Central Arizona.