CORTEZ – With two veteran rosters and postseason aspirations on both sides, Tuesday’s meeting between Durango and Montezuma-Cortez had the feel of a late-season test when the teams met April 7.
Hot off a weekend sweep of Grand Junction, the Demons climbed back inside the top 10 of Class 4A, while Class 3A No. 7 M-CHS entered with a five-game winning streak that included victories over Southwestern League foes Montrose and GJ Central, along with defending Class 3A state champion Coal Ridge.
Fittingly, the matchup featured a steady stream of high-leverage at-bats in a back-and-forth contest, with Durango holding on late for a 10-8 win.
After the teams exchanged runs in the first inning, the Demons (8-4, 2-0 5A/4A SWL) applied pressure again in the second. With the bases loaded, back-to-back wild pitches allowed two runs to score before M-CHS starting pitcher Kallan Wirth induced a groundout from Durango sophomore Cole Clark to limit the damage and keep the score at 3-1.
Montezuma-Cortez (7-5, 0-0 3A IML) answered in the bottom half of the inning. Junior Easton Pixler led off with a single, moved to second on an error and scored when junior Michael Krupa lined an RBI single through the right side.
A walk to senior Bodie Stiegelmeyer and a balk by Durango starter Jakob Maycock put two Panthers in scoring position, and Parker Conrad’s chopper glanced off Maycock’s glove, tying the game and ending his outing.
Senior Austin Romero stopped the rally with a strikeout, and the Demons quickly reclaimed momentum. Consecutive walks set the stage for a four-run third inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Romero, Dylan Burns and Brady Hoerl. Krupa struck out Dawson McInnes to end the frame, but Durango carried a 7-3 lead.
M-CHS senior Cory Carver opened the bottom of the third with a triple and scored on a passed ball to trim the deficit to 7-4.
The Panthers’ defense settled in next, with third baseman Jaiden Istenes turning a double play for the team’s first scoreless inning. Conrad followed with an RBI double that scored Stiegelmeyer, pulling the Panthers within two runs.
Durango responded in the fifth, stringing together hits to score twice. McInnes delivered the key blow with a double that rattled the corner and pushed the lead to four. Romero worked out of a jam later in the inning, and the Demons added an insurance run in the sixth.
McInnes took over on the mound seeking the final six outs, but Montezuma-Cortez mounted one last push. Carver collected his third hit of the afternoon to spark a three-run rally in the sixth that cut the margin to 10-8. McInnes regrouped, extinguishing the threat and closing out the game.
Romero earned the win for Durango, while McInnes recorded the save. Romero and senior Landin Padilla each finished with multiple hits, and Burns scored three runs to lead the Demons’ offense. For the Panthers, sophomore Brennen Powell joined Conrad and Stiegelmeyer in scoring two runs apiece.
Durango travels to the Grand Valley on Friday and Saturday for a two-game set with GJ Central before returning home Tuesday, April 14, for a twin bill against Pagosa Springs. The Pirates are also next on the schedule for Montezuma-Cortez, which returns to action Saturday, April 18, with a trip to Archuleta County to open Intermountain League play.
