FARMINGTON – A dominant performance on the mound and timely hitting up and down the lineup led the Piedra Vista High baseball team to a convincing 12-2 victory Tuesday night over district and crosstown rival Farmington at Ricketts Park.
The Panthers win, along with a 3-2 loss by previously unbeaten District 1-5A rival Cleveland at the hands of Rio Rancho, creates a three-way tie atop the standings with five games left to play in the regular season. Piedra Vista (18-2 overall, 4-1 District) is tied with Rio Rancho and Cleveland in the district standings
“We’re 4-1 in district and we’ve played some really good games so far,” said Piedra Vista head coach Jeff Kiraly. “But we’re still only halfway home and there’s a lot of baseball left to play.”
Pitcher Alexis Hernandez threw a strong game for the Panthers, striking out five and allowing only two runs on two hits and two walks over the course of the five-inning contest.
The Piedra Vista offense was powered by Kade Aragon, who got on board three times, scored a pair of runs and drove in three. Amasi Griego recorded a pair of hits while also driving in three runs and scoring twice.
The Panthers also got strong play once again from its middle infield, anchored by shortstop Eliyas Barton and second baseman Cory Clugston. The duo was responsible for five of the 15 outs recorded by the team.
“I really believe we’ve got the best shortstop in the state,” Kiraly said of Barton. “He’s one of the best shortstops I’ve ever coached here. When we play clean defense, we’re very tough to beat.”
The Panthers got on the board in the top of the second inning after Barton crossed the plate after an RBI single by Mason Courtney.
Farmington’s Calob Schofield evened the score in the top of the third inning after advancing to third after a one-out single. A bases-loaded walk to Darnell Joe plated Schofield. The Panthers prevented any further damage in that frame when Farmington’s Wyatt Boognl bounced out to Clugston to end the inning.
The Panthers broke the game open in the bottom of the third, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring five times. Base hits by Barton, Zack Zweschper and Aragon led the offensive attack and giving Piedra Vista a 6-1 advantage.
Scorpions starting pitcher Danny Hagstrom went 2 1/3 innings before he was replaced on the mound by Christian Benally. Hagstrom surrendered four runs while walking five and striking out three.
The Panthers offense was on display again in the bottom of the fourth inning, again sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six more times. A pair of Farmington errors led to two of those runs and extended the Piedra Vista lead to 12-1.
The Scorpions added a run in the top of the fifth inning, but failed to close the gap which caused the game to be halted due to the run-rule.
Piedra Vista will be home Friday to face Volcano Vista while the Scorpions (8-13 overall, 1-4 District) have lost seven of their last eight games and will visit Rio Rancho on Friday.
The Aztec High baseball team set the tone early Tuesday night, pairing sharp defense with dominant pitching from senior Cadin Anderson in a 6-0 rout of Kirtland Central at Fred Cook Stadium.
The win moves Aztec into sole possession of second place in the District 1-4A standings.
Anderson threw a complete-game one-hitter, striking out 12 and navigating early traffic. Kirtland Central starter Kaleb Clitso lasted 4 1/3 innings, surrendering six runs on eight hits with one strikeout.
A first-inning walk to Chance Aspaas briefly put runners on, but Anderson responded by striking out the side to end the threat. Clitso matched the scoreless start with a quick first frame, using a strikeout and two flyouts.
The second inning turned on a defensive gem. After Kirtland Central’s Shia Simms lined to left, shortstop Kale Watson made a catch for an out at second. His throw to first sailed wide toward the Kirtland dugout, but first baseman Uriah Gonzales recovered in time to complete the double play.
Aztec capitalized in the bottom half. Brody Segotta drove in a run with a double, and Jace Archuleta added a bunt RBI to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
With two outs and two strikes in the third inning, Cory Douglas lined a single past second base to score Tyler Ray. Gonzales, who finished with two hits and two RBIs, followed with a deep hit that extended the lead to 4-0.
The Tigers’ defense backed Anderson throughout. A clean 6-4-3 double play erased a bases-loaded threat following a series of walks, and Anderson followed with a strikeout to end the frame.
“We just talk about getting better every rep and these guys have really bought into the motto,” said Aztec head coach Colter Faverino said. “The guys on the mound have started to really turn it on — we struggled throwing strikes in the last few games — so tonight’s performance helped our team out.”
In the fourth, Aztec added to their lead. Archuleta advanced to third and scored on a single from Ray to make it 5-0. Gonzales added his second RBI on a line drive that scored Christian Holmes, extending the lead to 6-0. Clitso exited in the inning and was replaced by Aidan Allen, who limited further damage over 1 2/3 innings.
The Broncos’ best opportunity came after three walks loaded the bases, but a ground ball produced an out at the plate to keep Kirtland scoreless. Wesley Atcitty recorded the Broncos’ only hit of the night.
Anderson closed the game with his 12th strikeout to seal the shutout.
Aztec (15-6 overall, 4-1 district) sits in second place behind rival Bloomfield. The Tigers return to action Thursday for a doubleheader at Gallup. Kirtland Central (7-14, 3-2) sits in third and will host Bloomfield at 4 p.m. Thursday.