Local teams impress with strong performances on the road ahead of league play. Here's a recap of the weekend's action.
Montezuma-Cortez continued their dominance in the 3A Intermountain League on Saturday, sweeping Alamosa with 14-8 and 14-2 wins to stay unbeaten in district play.
In Game 1, the Panthers (12-4 overall, 4-0 3A IML) broke out with a six-run second inning and added two more in the fourth. Alamosa (9-9 overall, 2-2 3A IML) responded with a five-run fifth to shorten the lead, but Montezuma-Cortez sealed the win by tacking on three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to finish it off at 14-7.
Sophomore Easton Pixler paced the offense with a 4-5 performance and two RBIs, while senior Samson Lein added a 2-4 outing with three RBIs. Junior Darren Daves made a big impact on the basepaths, scoring four of the Panthers’ 14 runs.
Senior Seth Oakes tossed four innings while allowing three hits and one earned run. He struck out seven batters and walked only two.
Game 2 saw a sharp defensive turnaround for Montezuma-Cortez, which played error-free baseball and held Alamosa to just two runs in the second inning. The Panthers’ bats stayed hot, erupting for seven runs in the second and adding two more in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings to secure an early victory.
Standouts included junior Cory Carver who led with a perfect 3-3 showing and four RBIs while Lein contributed a 3-4 performance with three RBIs.
Junior Jaris McDonald started and tossed three solid innings, allowing just three hits and two earned runs while striking out two. Lein closed out with a two-inning relief appearance, giving up one hit and no runs while striking out one.
The Panthers will travel to Del Norte on Tuesday, then return home to host Northfork on Saturday. They will hit the road again to face Centauri on May 8 before wrapping up the regular season at home against Bayfield on May 10.
Dove Creek is on a five-win streak after delivering crushing wins over Antonito 12-0 and Centennial 16-0 on Friday on a road trip to Antonito.
The Bulldogs (9-7 overall, 6-0 District 1-1A) struck early against Antonito (1-10 overall, 0-9 District 1-1A) with two runs in the first, then ran off with four-run frames in both the third and fourth innings. They capped it off with two more in the fifth before the game was called early.
Junior Trevan Ivie led with a perfect 3-3 performance with three runs and three RBIs while senior Sheldon Gardner went 3-4 with two RBIs.
On the mound, Gardner pitched four innings and gave up one hit while striking out nine. Sophomore Cael Beanland started the game and threw a flawless first inning, striking out three of the four batters he faced.
Against Centennial (0-12 overall, 0-7 District 1-1A), the Bulldogs showcased flawless defense, which paved the way for a strong offensive performance. They scored three runs in the first inning, added another in the second, and then broke the game open with five runs in the third and seven in the fourth. Centennial had no response, and Dove Creek sealed the 16-0 victory.
Junior Josh Kibel went 2-2 at the plate, scoring four runs, driving in two RBIs, and hitting both a double and a triple. Senior Liam Hassell also had an impressive performance, finishing 2-3 with two RBIs, one run, and a triple.
On pitching duties, senior Frankey Montoya pitched the latter half of the game without allowing a hit or an earned run. He struck out five batters in the process.
Dove Creek will end their regular season with a visit to Nucla on Monday before heading into districts on Friday.
Dolores demonstrated progress over the weekend, starting with a commanding 23-8 win over Center on Friday. The team then battled hard against Sargent on Saturday, coming up just short in two close contests, each ending with a 5-4 score.
Dolores (2-15 overall, 0-8 2A SJBL) and Center (1-13 overall, 0-4 2A Southern Peaks) were tied 2-2 by the end of the first inning, but the Bears quickly took control, jumping to a 10-0 run in the second. Center's perfect defense limited Dolores to just one run in the third while adding four runs of their own. However, Dolores answered with a rally, scoring nine runs in the fourth to regain momentum and win, 23-8.
The trio of freshman Branson Lee, sophomore Waylon Kiddoo, and Wyatt Kiddoo led the Bears in the contest. Lee had an impressive 5-5 performance with two runs, two RBIs, and one triple. Waylon went 5-6 with four runs and two RBIs as brother Wyatt had a 2-3 showing with three runs, two RBIs, two doubles, and five stolen bases.
On Saturday’s Game 2 contest, Dolores caught up to Sargent (9-5 overall, 7-2 District 1-1A) at the end of the fourth to tie 2-2. Both teams then exchanged two runs in the fifth, but Sargent managed to hold on to a slight one-point lead, finishing the game with a 5-4 victory.
Leading the Farmers was Paul Neal who batted 2-3 with one RBI. On the mound, Kade Temple started and allowed three hits, one run, and struck out six while Liam Ellithorpe came in on relief in the third and gave up four hits, three hits, and struck out two.
The Bears will finish their regular season campaign with a trip to Cedaredge on May 9 and a home game against Bayfield on May 13.
