Ignacio may have ended up winning the race, but on Monday evening, April 14, it was Dove Creek setting the pace.
Hosting the Bobcats for a 2A/1A San Juan Basin League doubleheader at sun-soaked Soper Sports Complex, the Bulldogs led 6-3 through four innings of Game 1. IHS starting pitcher Ambrose Valdez lasted just 2-2/3 innings and gave up five runs. In Game 2, Dove Creek led 8-4 at the same juncture, with IHS starter Gabe Archuleta responsible for all eight runs before being pulled after walking two batters at the beginning of the fourth.
As the visitors’ bats began waking up, more and more DCHS deliveries began sailing deeper into the outfield, resulting in extra-base knocks or costly Bulldog bobbles that boosted the Bobcats’ hopes. Ignacio turned the tide in Game 1 with three fifth-inning runs and six more in the sixth.
In Game 2, Stoney White Thunder led off with a double to center and scored two batters later via a fly off Valdez’s bat misplayed into a three-base error. Valdez then scored via Sonny Flores’ groundout, deflected off Dove Creek pitcher Trevan Ivie’s glove to second baseman Clayton Smith.
Easton Smith then belted a triple to deep left-center, trimming the lead to 8-6. Ivie, who had also been utilized in Game 1 as a relief pitcher, was pulled after walking IHS’ first batter in the top of the sixth inning. Archuleta then greeted Frankey Montoya with a double to center.
White Thunder smacked another double, scoring Archuleta. After Cole Wagner flew out to center, he was gunned down trying to swipe third with Valdez up. The Bobcats were back to 8-7. Wagner, on in long relief of Archuleta, retired the top third of Dove Creek’s order in the bottom of the sixth. Valdez singled, Flores walked, and Easton Smith advanced both a bag with a sacrifice fly to left. William Mendoza-Lechuga then plated Valdez with a single into left, and Joe Atencio followed with an RBI-single scoring Flores. Mendoza-Lechuga scored a vital insurance run when Montoya flung an attempted pickoff throw wide of first base.
Tanner Smith tapped a short single to right, but Montoya worked out of the jam by getting Archuleta and White Thunder to both fly out to left. Needing two runs to retie and force extra innings, or three to snatch a split of the twin bill, the Bulldogs began the home half of the seventh stanza with a single by Sheldon Gardner. Liam Hassell then foul-tipped a third strike into catcher Archuleta’s mitt, and Konner Spigner flew out to left fielder Easton Smith. The determined Bulldogs persisted, and Montoya singled to left, moving Gardner ahead to second. Clayton Smith reached base via an error by shortstop Valdez, bringing Nicholas Aragon to the plate with the bases loaded.
Facedown and momentarily rendered motionless out in right during Game 1 after taking a misjudged Archuleta fly off his head, Aragon had earned his shot to be the hero after gutting out Game 2. With two walks to his name along with DCHS’ eighth run, Aragon dug in against Wagner but bounced a grounder back to the hill and was retired via Wagner’s casual throw to first baseman White Thunder, securing Ignacio a 14-10, 10-8 sweep.
Gardner finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and a sac-fly, two runs, and three RBI, after going 2-5 with three RBI in Game 1. He was the Bulldogs’ pitcher-of-record, taking the loss after starting and dealing five-plus innings, scattering six hits and striking out eight Bobcats, but allowing 11 runs with only six earned. Hassell went 1-3 in Game 2 with a sac-fly and two RBI, and 1-5 in Game 1. Kibel singled three times in Game 1 and ended up 3-4 with three runs, then went 0-2 in Game 2 with a walk, hit-by-pitch, and two runs.
Including a ground-rule double, Ivie went 2-4 in Game 1 with two runs and two RBI, but then went 0-3 with a walk and a run in Game 2. Spigner and Montoya each went a combined 2-for-7 with one walk and one run, and Aragon ended up a combined 1-for-4 with three walks and one run. Game 1 pinch hitter Mason Forst went 1-1 with a seventh-inning single and run.
“You know, it’s just rough,” said Ivie. “They’re loud … hit the ball hard – they’re a good team.” Gardner added, “We hit the ball well but weren’t really finding gaps today and they were, especially in that second game. And that’s baseball; there’s not a lot you can do about it.”
Dove Creek, with a 4-7 overall record and 2-3 in the SJBL, will next get a feel for postseason 1A-District 1 play when they face both Blanca-based Sierra Grande and La Veta on Saturday, April 19, in Ignacio. First pitch against SGHS is slated for 10 a.m. “You know, we win those two … we probably clinch the number-one district seed,” said Ivie. “So it’s big. We’ve got a long week ahead of us, time to heal and everything, so I think we should be good.” Gardner concluded, “We’re just going to stay confident, stay together as a team, and go into this weekend having the best hopes that we’re going to win both those games.”
