FARMINGTON – Bloomfield High senior pitcher Elias Munoz overcame some trouble while throwing a complete game victory in a 9-3 win on the road Thursday night over District 1-4A rival Kirtland Central.
Munoz struck out eight batters and allowed six hits and a pair of walks as the Bobcats remain perfect in the district, improving to 14-7 overall (6-0 District) with just four games remaining in the regular season.
“I still don’t think we’re playing our best baseball yet,” said Bloomfield head coach Anthony Valencia. “I don’t think we’ve gelled yet at as a team but hopefully we’re getting there.”
The Bobcats remain a game ahead of Aztec in the district standings. Bloomfield topped Aztec 14-12 last month with a rematch scheduled between the teams Thursday night at Fred Cook Stadium.
Bloomfield got big offensive performances from Troy Jaramillo, who went 3-for-4 at the plate and reached base in all five plate appearances, scoring a pair of runs. Drayton Higgins also scored a pair of runs with a pair of base hits.
The Bobcats got on the board first with a pair of runs in the top half of the third inning, but squandered the lead in the bottom of the frame. Kirtland Central got a pair of RBI from Mathias Veith, who drove in Damian Allen and Chance Aspaas with a double to left centerfield, putting the Broncos up by a 3-2 margin.
Bloomfield regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning, scoring three times. Higgins and Jaramillo led the attack and were aided by a Kirtland Central throwing error that put the Bobcats ahead by a 5-3 score.
The Broncos defense committed six errors in the game, including three in the final three innings which led to Bloomfield being able to extend its lead.
Kirtland Central starting pitcher Jakob Little was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on six hits, striking out six and walking three batters.
The Bobcats put the game away in the top of the seventh inning, scoring four runs. A pair of fielding errors by Kirtland Central aided Bloomfield’s offense, in addition to four walks issued by pitcher Chance Aspaas.
Munoz struck out three of the final five batters he faced in the win, improving his record to 2-1 on the season.
“He’s the kind of pitcher who has always been accountable for his actions,” Valencia said of Munoz. “He was a bulldog on the hill today and we’re going to need him going forward.”
Bloomfield will look to extend its six-game win streak when they host Gallup on Tuesday at at 4 p.m. Kirtland Central (7-15 overall, 3-3 District) has lost two in a row and will look to rebound Tuesday at Miyamura.
Behind a dominant pitching performance from Hayden Eaton and a persistent offense that feasted on defensive errors, Aztec rolled to a 10-0 road victory over Gallup on Thursday.
The Tigers set the tone immediately in the first inning. Jace Archuleta reached on an error and eventually crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Kale Watson. Aztec added a second run in the frame when Christian Holmes, who had singled, stole home during a double steal.
Aztec’s lead swelled in the third inning as the Bengals defense faltered. The Tigers scored six runs in the frame, aided by three Gallup errors. Eathen Hengst provided the big blow with an RBI double to left field, while Brody Segotta added an RBI single. By the time the third-out tag was applied to Archuleta on the basepaths, Aztec held a commanding 9-0 lead.
Eaton was nearly untouchable on the mound for the Tigers. He silenced the Gallup bats through four innings, racking up eight strikeouts, allowing only two hits and two walks.
Christian Holmes took over in relief in the fifth inning to close out the shutout. Although he walked one batter, he struck out two to end the threat and secure the mercy rule win.
The Bengals struggled to find any rhythm, committing seven errors on the day. Mason Belone and Truitt Lewis managed the only hits for Gallup against Eaton.
Aztec added its final run in the fourth when Watson walked, stole second, and scored on a line-drive single by Holmes.
Hengst finished the day 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Segotta went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Tigers’ 10-hit attack.
Piedra Vista pitcher JW Bayless partnered with a balanced offensive attack as the Panthers secured a 7-3 victory at home Friday night over Volcano Vista.
Bayless earned the win on the mound, striking out 10 over the course of six complete innings, limited the Hawks to just three runs before Kyle Murphy closed the door in the seventh, striking out the side to seal the win.
Piedra Vista and Rio Rancho remain tied atop the District 1-5A standings with identical 5-1 records. Cleveland, which entered the week with only one district loss, came up short Friday 6-3 on the road against Cibola. The Panthers beat the Rams 4-0 last week at Ricketts Park and will visit Rio Rancho on Tuesday, April 28.
The Panthers jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Tony Reynolds, running for Kade Aragon, scored on a fielder’s choice by Bayless. The Panthers extended the lead to 4-0 in the second, highlighted by a sacrifice fly from Alexis Hernandez and a run-scoring single by Alejandro Hernandez.
Piedra Vista continued to capitalize on Volcano Vista miscues in the third. Kyle Murphy led off with a double and later scored on an error to make it 5-0. Alexis Hernandez added an RBI single later in the frame to push the lead to six.
Volcano Vista finally broke through in the fifth inning when a sacrifice fly brought home their first run. The Hawks threatened again in the sixth, plating two runs aided by Piedra Vista errors to cut the deficit to 6-3.
However, Alejandro Hernandez provided the insurance the Panthers needed in the bottom of the sixth, lining an RBI triple to right field to score Mason Courtney and restore a four-run cushion.
Alejandro Hernandez and Mason Courtney led the Piedra Vista offense with multiple hits, while Bayless and Murphy combined for 12 strikeouts to keep the Volcano Vista bats at bay.
The Rio Rancho High baseball team staged a massive late-inning rally at home to stun Farmington by a final score of 12-11 Friday night.
Farmington appeared to have the contest well in hand after jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Scorpions’ offense remained relentless through the middle frames, highlighted by a two-run home run from Danny Hagstrom in the fifth and steady run production from Darnell Joe, Wyatt Boognl, and LaTavien Howard.
Entering the bottom of the sixth trailing 11-4, the Rams chipped away. A wild pitch and an error allowed three runs to cross the plate, cutting the deficit to 11-7.
The real drama unfolded in the bottom of the seventh. With Farmington’s pitching struggling to find the strike zone, Genaro Lopez issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. Wyatt Tinker drew a walk to force in a run, followed by a D. Aragon RBI single to bring the Rams within two.
Rio Rancho tied the game at 11-11 following a fielder’s choice by Matthew Cook and a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Anthony Knoll that scored Tinker.
With two outs and the winning run on second, Dean Ellison delivered the final blow, a towering fly ball to center field that fell for a double, scoring Cook and completing the comeback.