Cleveland, Clovis set to meet for tourney final
Storm edges Hobbs; Wildcats top Rams
RIO RANCHO — For the second straight year, it will be Cleveland and Clovis in the championship game of Rio Rancho’s Sal Puentes Invitational baseball tournament.
The Storm scored two unearned runs in the seventh to beat Hobbs, and the Wildcats downed the host Rams in Friday’s semifinals.
Today’s final is at 3 p.m.
CLEVELAND 5, HOBBS 4: With two outs in the top of the seventh inning, at the most crucial juncture of the game, Storm coach Shane Shallenberger pulled out of the dugout a pinch-hitter with Cleveland (8-4) trailing the Eagles 4-3.
The new batter was freshman Alex Admire — who was hitless in nine at-bats this season.
But Admire dumped a single into right field to score the tying run from second base, and then Damien Roddy followed with an RBI single to center, plating Admire with the go-ahead run.
And here’s an irony: Admire was pinch-hitting for his older brother Damian.
“I was trying to get a good pitch and drive it the other way,” Admire said. “Square it up, and try to score the run.”
The inning was set up when Cleveland’s leadoff batter in the seventh, E.J. Rendon, reached on an infield error. The courtesy runner, Roman Rodriguez, was sacrificed to second. With two outs, up came Admire. “Even though he hadn’t had a hit, he’s had some good quality at-bats,” Shallenberger said. “I had confidence in him in that spot.”
Hobbs threw home trying to get Rodriguez, allowing Admire to reach second base on his single. That extra base proved to be costly to the Eagles when Roddy singled.
The Storm led early 2-0 in the third. Hobbs’ Jaden Hutchins belted a three-run homer to left for a 3-2 lead in the bottom half.
Jaren Jackson of Cleveland hit a homer to tie the game 3-3 in the next half inning, but Hobbs (4-8) went in front 4-3 in the sixth on an RBI single by Grant Forrest.
Ethan Collins (4-1), in relief of starter Jackson, picked up the win.
CLOVIS 6, RIO RANCHO 3: The Wildcats scored three runs on four doubles in the top of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead, and starter Connor Langrell (4-0) pitched Clovis into the title game from there.
And this allowed Clovis (11-3) to fulfill a quota, so to speak.
“The one team we wanted to see this weekend,” Wildcats coach Richard Cruce said, “was Cleveland.”
The Storm not only beat Clovis in the Puentes final a year ago, but also beat the Wildcats 3-1 at the Storm’s tournament on March 8.
They will get another shot at Cleveland because of the gritty mound work of Langrell, who pitched out of trouble in almost every inning. Rio Rancho (12-5) stranded 12 runners.
“Connor is our workhorse,” Cruce said. “He tends to get in binds every once in a while, but he’s good at competing.”
Langrell scattered 10 hits in his complete game. Rio Rancho touched him up for single runs in each of the first three innings, but some excellent defense, both in the outfield and on the infield, in the later innings bailed him out of potential damage.
“When (there are runners) on base, I just try to get a ground ball and get everyone into it,” Langrell said. “My defense helped me out the whole time, and kept the momentum on our side.”
Down 3-2 in the fourth, Sebastian Nuñez, Kayden Shober and Cam Kuykendall all smacked RBI doubles against Rams starter and loser Bodhi Bolen (4-1).
Clovis added an insurance run in the seventh with Garrett Longrell driving in a run with a single. He had two RBIs, and also made two superb defensive plays at third base to assist his brother’s cause.