The Class 3A Baseball Tournament had six of the eight first-round games decided by 10 runs or more. With the field now boiled down to the eight best teams, the effect should be closer and more competitive games.
All four quarterfinal games will be played Wednesday at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. The semifinals are scheduled for the same location on Thursday with the state championship game set for Saturday at noon at Isotopes Park.
Texico (1) vs. Tularosa (9), 10 a.m. (At Cleveland HS) – The Texico Wolverines (23-3) continue to swat aside opponents from the Land of Enchantment as their convincing 16-0 win over Loving in the first round improved their record to 23-1 this season against New Mexico schools. Texico cruised past overmatched Loving with a 14-run third inning, junior Ben Crist took care of the pitching chores with six scoreless innings and not allowing a Loving runner past first base. Will Texico coach Ty Thatcher go with Crist again in the quarterfinals considering he would be pitching on six days rest?
By this point, Texico looks like a runaway freight train on the way to its second straight Class 3A championships. But standing in their way Wednesday is a pesky Tularosa team that looked underseeded based on the ease in which they handled Pecos on the road in the first round, needing only five innings to get the job done. Tularosa benefitted from numerous Pecos defensive miscues, but sprayed line drives all over the field as well. Andres Aragon (6-2), Tularosa’s best pitcher, tossed a complete game against Pecos and should get the ball again.
Dexter (3) vs. Estancia (6), 1 p.m. (At Cleveland HS) – Both Dexter (14-7) and Estancia (20-4) won their first-round games easily, shutting out their opponents and scoring double digit runs in the process. Don’t anticipate that happening in this intriguing matchup. Dexter junior Matt Otero threw four scoreless innings without allowing a hit against Zuni last Wednesday before sophomore David Miramontes closes out the mercy-rule shortened game in the fifth. Offensively, Dexter never looked back after 1B Dayton Harris ripped a bases-clearing, three-run triple in the first inning. When the second inning ended, the Demons led, 11-0.
While Dexter was disposing of Zuni, Estancia eliminated Clayton with a 10-0 victory in the first round. The Bears have not lost a neutral site game all season, going 5-0 in those contests.
Raton (4) vs. McCurdy (12), 4 p.m. (At Cleveland HS) – Unlike the top three seeds in the Class 3A Baseball Tournament (Texico, Santa Rosa and Dexter), Raton eked out a close win in the first round, besting Eunice 4-3 in nine innings. Raton scored twice in the bottom of the ninth after Eunice scored to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth. An error, Cole Medina’s double and another hit allowed Raton to escape with the win.
Now they face a McCurdy team fresh off posting an 8-3 upset over No. 5 seed Laguna Acoma in the first round. The Bobcats will likely try to utilize the same formula that worked splendidly in the first round – score some runs early, grab the lead and watch the higher seeded team succumb to the pressure.
Last week, McCurdy scored three runs in the first inning against Laguna Acoma before adding two more runs in the second for a 5-2 lead. The home team never recovered from the early jolt. McCurdy starting pitcher Kemmer Croff threw a complete game and could get the ball again.
Santa Rosa (2) vs. Capitan (7), 7 p.m. (At Cleveland HS) – As the No. 2 seed, Santa Rosa is probably thinking they have a chance to knock of Texico should the two teams meet in the state title game on Saturday. But first they must face Capitan, which routed Tucumcari, 17-7, in the first round. In fact, both teams won their first-round games by 10 runs. Santa Rosa and Capitan met on March 25 with Lions winning, 9-5. Santa Rosa has won six of its last seven games and looks to be on a roll with a team batting average of .346. Joaquin Sanchez has driven in 31 runs and takes a .423 batting average into Wednesday’s single elimination game.
3A First Round - Features
3A First Round Recap | Video: Tularosa over Pecos
First Round - Final Scores
#1 Texico 16, #16 Loving 0
#2 Santa Rosa 13, #15 Santa Fe Prep 3
#3 Dexter 12, #14 Zuni 0
#4 Raton 4, #13 Eunice 3 (9 innings)
#6 Estancia 10, #11 Clayton 0
#7 Capitan 17, #10 Tucumcari 7
#9 Tularosa 17, #8 Pecos 3
#12 McCurdy 8, #5 Laguna-Acoma 3
