Portales, N.M. -- Junior Sam Strickland continued his brilliance on the mound, pitching the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas to a 3-2 win over Eastern New Mexico in the final game of a four-game Lone Star Conference series and a 10-game road trip.

   The Javelinas improved to 14-14 overall and 10-10 in Lone Star Conference play.

   Strickland improved to 4-2 on the year by allowing only five hits and two earned runs in pitching a nine-inning complete game.  He struck out six, walked two and threw 151 pitches.  He has allowed only three earned runs in his last two starts, both complete game league victories, covering 16 innings.  He is now 3-2 with a 2.05 earned run average in league play.

   The Hogs scored single runs in the first, third and fifth innings while Eastern scored two in the eighth.

   Chase Myrick started the game with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by James Brown (Corpus Christi King) and scored on a double by Thomas Miller.

   In the third, Brown drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on a fielding error by the shortstop.

   The final Hog run came in the fifth when after two outs, Owen Weaver tripled and Taylor Everett singled up the middle on a 1-2 pitch to give the Javelinas a 3-0 lead.

   Strickland shutout the Greyhounds over the first seven innings, but Eastern got two runs in the eighth inning and had the tying run on third with two outs.  But Strickland induced the number three hitter in the lineup, Tyler Hayes to ground out to end the frame.

   Eastern New Mexico had the trying run at second with just one out in the ninth, but Strickland got Seth Clabaugh to fly out and struck out pinch hitter Ethan Wagner to end the game.

   The Javelinas host Houston Baptist Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. at Nolan Ryan Field.