BLOOMFIELD – No matter their place in the standings, a sporting event featuring Bloomfield and Aztec High School comes with a little bit of drama.
That was especially the case Tuesday on a chilly afternoon at John Gutierrez Field at Bloomfield High, where the Bobcats overcame a pair of multi-run deficits with a 5-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, beating the Tigers 14-12.
This was the first of two games between the District 1-4A rivals this season, with the next meeting taking place at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium on Thursday, April 23.
“I swear, these kids are going to give me a heart attack,” joked Bloomfield head coach Anthony Valencia.“
Trailing 6-0 after the top half of the first inning, then trailing 10-7 going to the bottom of the third inning, the Bobcats clawed their way back into the game on more than one occasion.
“I told them when we were down by six to trim that lead in half, and they did, then when they fell behind again, to find a way to bring each other up, and they did that,” Valencia said.
Bloomfield starting pitcher Manuel Chavarria got into trouble in the top of the first. A bases clearing double by Christian Holmes, who later scored after a pair of passed balls gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead before recording their first out.
Chavarria was pulled after getting just one batter out and was replaced on the mound by Elias Munoz.
The Bobcats answered in the bottom of the first with Troy Jaramillo and Gavin Pecotte scoring runs off Aztec starting pitcher Cadin Anderson.
Bloomfield closed the gap again in the bottom of the second off the bat of Gavin Pecotte, who laced a line drive to the left field gap that scored Jaramillo, Munoz and Drayton Higgins. The Bobcats tied the game when Cable Carruth drove in Chavarria with a two-out triple, then took the lead when Johnny Yates singled and plated Carruth for a 7-6 lead heading to the third inning.
Aztec immediately answered when Cory Douglas doubled down the right field line to score Holmes in the top of the third tying the game at 7-7. Eathen Hengst put Aztec back in front with a 2-RBI single, followed by a run scoring single off the bat of Archuleta to make it a 10-7 contest.
Bloomfield closed the gap in the bottom of the third inning when Damian Jaramillo scored off a single by Troy Jaramillo. The Bobcats narrowed Aztec’s lead to one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Higgins’ two-out single scored Marcus Garcia, trimming the Tigers lead to 10-9.
Holmes’ solo home run over the wall in left field put the Tigers back in front by a pair of runs. On the day. Holmes went 3-for-3 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored.
Once again, Bloomfield clawed its way back into the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Carruth reached on a one-out error, allowing Munoz to score from second.
That ended the game on the mound for Aztec starter Cadin Anderson, who pitched 5 1/3 innings before being replaced by Tyler Ray. The Bobcats took the lead for the first time when a one-out single from Garcia scored Pecotte and Carruth, giving Bloomfield a 12-11 lead.
Bloomfield extended their lead on back-to-back RBI singles from Higgins and Troy Jaramillo.
Aztec scored a run in the top of the seventh and had the tying run on second base before Ray grounded out to shortstop Troy Jaramillo to end the game.
Munoz picked up the win for the Bobcats, pitching 6 2/3 innings and striking out six batters.
Bloomfield (9-7) resumes district play on Thursday when they visit Shiprock, while Aztec (11-6) will be home to face Miyamura.
Cody Clugston delivered the decisive blow in a five-run eighth inning, clearing the bases with a three-run double to lead Piedra Vista to a 9-4 extra-inning victory over Volcano Vista.
The Panthers showed resilience after surrendering a late lead in the seventh, using a disciplined approach at the plate and opportunistic baserunning to break the game open in the top of the eighth inning.
Piedra Vista jumped out to an early lead in the third inning when Eliyas Barton launched a solo home run to right field. However, Volcano Vista answered in the bottom half of the frame. After Andres Holguin was hit by a pitch and Josiah Gutierrez singled, Bradyn Mazuranich drove a two-run single to right, giving the Hawks a 2-1 advantage.
The Panthers regained control in the fifth. Zack Zweschper and Mason Courtney drew consecutive walks before Alejandro Hernandez grounded a single toward the right side. An error by the Volcano Vista catcher on the play allowed both Zweschper and Courtney to cross the plate, putting PV back in front 3-2.
Barton helped extend the lead in the sixth, leading off with a single, stealing second and scoring on a Clugston RBI single to make it 4-3.
The Hawks refused to go quietly. In the bottom of the seventh, Micah Solomon reached on an error and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a balk. Gutierrez then came through with a clutch RBI single to center, knotting the score at 4-4 and forcing extra innings.
Piedra Vista’s eighth-inning explosion began with a Kyle Murphy single and a JW Bayless double. After Barton was intentionally walked to load the bases, Clugston lined a double to left field, scoring all three runners for a 7-4 lead. The Panthers added two more insurance runs via a passed ball and a bases-loaded walk to Murphy.
Murphy earned the win in relief, navigating the eighth inning with ease as the Panthers retired the Hawks in order to seal the win.
Piedra Vista will look to carry the momentum forward at Ricketts Park where the Panthers will host Cibola on Friday.
Rio Rancho used a massive nine-run fourth inning to break open a contested game and cruise to a 12-2 victory over the Farmington High School baseball team on Tuesday.
The Rams’ offensive onslaught was bookended by home runs from Wyatt Tinker and Brayden Bustillos, while the Scorpions struggled to overcome defensive miscues and a dominant middle-inning stretch by Rio Rancho pitching.
Rio Rancho wasted no time getting on the board. In the top of the first, Tinker sent a fly ball over the center-field fence for a solo home run. The Rams added another in the second inning when Chase Rivera tripled to right field, scoring A. Gallegos to make it 2-0.
Farmington cut the deficit in the bottom of the third. After David Olayo reached on a single and advanced on an error, Danny Hagstrom drove him home with a line-drive single to center, bringing the Scorpions within two at 3-1.
However, the wheels fell off for Farmington in the fourth.
The Rams sent 13 batters to the plate, featured RBI singles from Radley Philipbar, Dean Ellison, and D. Aragon. An error in the outfield by Ari Edmiston allowed two more runs to cross the plate before Bustillos capped the scoring with a two-run blast to left field, pushing the lead to 12-1.
Matthew Cook earned the win for Rio Rancho, pitching through the fourth inning. He ran into trouble in his final frame after walking in a run to Calob Schofield, but Richie Reiffenberger entered in relief to induce a flyout and escape the bases-loaded jam.
The Scorpions had one final opportunity in the fifth after Gabe Matamoros and Darnell Joe were both hit by pitches to start the inning. However, Reiffenberger settled in, ending the game by inducing a fielder’s choice double play.
Hagstrom took the loss for Farmington, charged with most of the Rams’ early production. The Scorpions were hindered by four defensive errors on the day.
Rio Rancho finished with 13 hits, led by multi-hit performances from Tinker, Gallegos, and Ellison. Farmington managed four hits in the contest.
The Rams (14-3, 1-0 District) will be home Friday to face Volcano Vista while the Scorpions will hit the road to face Cleveland.