Sandia continues to pile on runs, wins, 12-1
Matadors have outscored teams, 99-7
The question put to Stuart Jaramillo was straightforward.
In what ways can this Sandia High School baseball team still get better?
“Hmmm,” the Matadors senior catcher mumbled, as he lowered his head and began to chew on it.
A few seconds go by. Maybe his silence was the answer.
“I don’t know,” Jaramillo finally said.
Sandia has blistered its way through the first half of its 2021 season, outscoring its eight opponents by a whopping 99-7, the latest a 12-1 victory Wednesday at Volcano Vista.
This latest win was not quite as onesided as it might appear at first glance, since the Matadors (8-0) scored eight runs in the final two innings to pull away from the Hawks (6-4).
It was certainly bizarre in this one way: Sandia ace right-hander Jacob Kmatz actually earned a save in this game, by throwing the final three innings. It was 4-1 Matadors when he entered in the bottom of the fifth.
But Sandia added six runs in the sixth, highlighted by Ezra Mestas’ two-RBI triple to center, for a 10-1 lead.
“This group of guys we have, we’ve been together the last four years and we love each other like family, and it just molds together on the field,” said Kmatz, who has signed to pitch collegiately for national power Oregon State. “We’re playing good baseball.”
Only Valley, in the opener, has not lost to Sandia by at least 10 runs so far this season.
To that end, Sandia coach Chris Eaton — whose team also thumped Rio Grande 16-1 earlier this week — couldn’t say for sure what the true measure of his team really is just yet.
Despite being 8-0, Sandia is ranked only No. 7 in Class 5A by MaxPreps.com and the Matadors’s strength of schedule was the lowestrated of anyone in Class 5A.
“It’s difficult, because we want to play the best and be challenged,” Eaton said. “I really do think Rio Grande and Volcano Vista are two of the best teams in the city. It just speaks to the potential we think we have.”
The District 2-5A slate for Sandia begins a week from Saturday in Farmington as the schedule gets noticeably more challenging.
Kmatz started Monday night against the Ravens, but as he threw only 54 pitches, and with the long layoff ahead, Eaton brought the hard-throwing Kmatz back on short rest in a game that was very much in doubt when he replaced starter Matt Romero (4-0).
For Sandia, Jaramillo’s two-run single to right-center staked the Matadors to a 2-0 first-inning lead against Hawks southpaw starter Regan Hall, who had control issues throughout.
A bases-loaded walk and sacrifice fly doubled the lead to 4-0 in the third. Jack Kolich of Volcano Vista’s RBI double in the bottom half cut the deficit to 4-1, which is where it remained until Sandia blew it open in the sixth. Jaramillo added an RBI double in the sixth, and Adrien Martin plated two runs with a single.
“I think we’re just doing everything right,” Jaramillo said. “We’re playing great baseball.”
Volcano Vista had won four straight.