BLOOMFIELD – Aztec High School junior Cadin Anderson tossed a perfect game Saturday at John Gutierrez Field in the Tigers 1-0 upset of District 1-4A powerhouse Bloomfield.
Anderson threw seven complete innings without surrendering a single Bloomfield baserunner while striking out a whopping 15 batters. Of Anderson’s 15 strikeouts, four were left looking.
Anderson’s mix of a fastball and curveball had Bloomfield’s hitters completely off balance, only allowing five hitters to put the ball in the field. Aztec’s defense didn’t have to do too much, but when they were called upon, they delivered.
Anderson becomes the 15th prep athlete to throw a perfect game in the state of New Mexico and the second in Class 4A after Hope Christian senior Jacob Gergen threw a perfect game against Belen on Mar. 29.
Prep Scoreboard
Baseball
Thursday
Bloomfield 13, Gallup 3
Aztec 16, Shiprock 5
Kirtland Central 14, Miyamura 1
Friday
Piedra Vista 15, Volcano Vista 5
Saturday
Aztec 1, Bloomfield 0
Softball
Thursday
Navajo Prep 19, Newcomb 8
Navajo Prep 32, Newcomb 5
Aztec 23, Shiprock 6
Kirtland Central 6, Miyamura 3
Friday
Piedra Vista 15, Volcano Vista 0
Rio Rancho 14, Farmington 1
Saturday
Aztec 13, Bloomfield 7
“I don’t even know how to describe this feeling right now, this was the most fun game of my life,” Anderson said of his efforts. “I just wanted to be there for my team tonight and pick up a tough win on the road.”
Bloomfield starting pitcher Blake Spencer took the loss on the mound but battled with six innings pitched and 12 strikeouts of his own. Spencer stranded seven Aztec batters and only allowed three singles, two of which were infield hits.
Aztec averaged four batters at the plate offensively per inning but couldn’t find solid contact against Spencer’s mix of fastballs and changeups to make any noise.
Bloomfield entered Saturday’s district matchup averaging 13 runs in district games with a lineup that was collectively sporting a .405 batting average.
Those numbers didn’t phase Anderson who threw two innings where he struck out the side, working the outside zone, staying away from the pull side of Bloomfield’s batters.
“It wasn’t really a feeling I had on the mound, I just knew I had a lot of trust in my defense and never doubted those guys behind me, and that’s what led to a lot of my strikeouts,” Anderson said.
Aztec found its only run in the top of the sixth inning after consecutive base hitters reached base against Spencer after Kale Watson walked, and Cory Douglas was hit by a pitch.
Spencer didn’t break a sweat, striking out the next two batters with Anderson coming to the plate for Aztec. Spencer jumped out to an early 1-2 count against Anderson and tossed a curveball that snuck past eighth grader Kannon Ashton who was filling in for junior Manuel Chaviarria who was unavailable for this game.
Watson and Douglas looked to advance bases on the passed ball and Ashton looked to recover by making a throw to Bloomfield third baseman McKell Colbert to cut Watson at third.
But a bad throw saw the ball bouncing far left of third base, allowing Watson to come home to put Aztec up late. Spencer went on to strikeout Anderson with his next two pitches, stranding Douglas at third.
Anderson struck out five hitters of the next six he faced in the sixth and seventh innings, securing his perfect game, giving Aztec a chance to make some noise in district play down the homestretch.
Aztec (10-13, 5-2 District 1-4A) will finish its regular season with three straight home games, starting with Gallup on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Fred Cook Stadium. Bloomfield (17-5, 6-1 District 1-4A) hasn’t lost a district matchup since Apr. 27, 2023, and will be on the road to finish out its season, beginning with Kirtland Central Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“We want to keep the energy up, we definitely have to get the bats going, but we’re a good team that’s just going to continue to have fun,” Anderson said.
Aztec and Bloomfield will close out their seasons with a rematch in Aztec on Apr. 29 at 6 p.m. in what could determine the district champion.
Kyle Murphy, Cody Clugston and Eliyas Barton each drove in three runs as the Piedra Vista High baseball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit before rolling to a 15-5 win on the road Friday afternoon over Volcano Vista.
The Panthers win gives the teams a split of the district campaign. Earlier this month, the Hakws topped Piedra Vista by a score of 4-1 in eight innings.
The Panthers scored 13 unanswered runs, five in the third inning and eight more in the fourth, thanks to a home run from JW Bayless and four extra base hits that helped improve Piedra Vista’s overall record to 13-8 (2-4 District 1-5A) and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Senior pitcher Trapper Paige struck out five hitters in four innings of work, allowing only three hits, three walks and a pair of runs in picking up the victory.
The Panthers will be home Tuesday to face Cibola, hoping to avenge a 5-4 loss to the Cougars in a district game on May 4.
