Santa Fe’s storybook tourney run comes to an end
All-Stars fall to Roswell Noon Optimist in consolation semifinals
ALBUQUERQUE — The curtain finally came down on the feel-good story that was the Santa Fe Little League All-Stars.
Playing its fifth game in four days in the blistering heat of northeast Albuquerque, Santa Fe was sent home in Monday’s consolation semifinals of the Majors Baseball State Tournament. The 3-2 loss to Roswell Noon Optimist was the second one-run setback of the tournament for Santa Fe, ending a storybook run that included an opening-round win and two more in elimination play.
SFLL stranded the tying run on third base in the final inning as all five runs came across in the first frame. Roswell had five straight hits to open the game to build a 3-0 lead, Santa Fe’s largest deficit of the tournament. The onslaught chased starting pitcher Jayden Romero off the mound as Maximus Marquez relieved and struck out three straight batters. He wound up going six full innings, scattering half a dozen hits to keep SFLL in it.
Santa Fe responded by sending seven batters to the dish in the bottom of the inning. Austin Mirabal scored the first run after reaching on a fielder’s choice, going to third on Seth Cordova’s single and scoring on a Body Mack RBI single to left.
Finnegan Evans followed with an RBI double that bounced to the wall in center, scoring Cordova from first.
Roswell starting pitcher Luke Taschner and his defense did everything they had to in order to keep Santa Fe in check the rest of the way. Santa Fe had at least one baserunner in each of the final five innings, including two on board with no outs to start the fourth.
Taschner had a response every
time. When he didn’t, his defense did — like that fourth inning when Xia Duran y Jennings lined out to center to begin ending the threat, and the second when a perfect throw from the catcher caught Austin Tokoroyama trying to steal.
Santa Fe’s Jesus Mejia drew a walk with two down and none on in the bottom of the sixth. His at-bat came immediately after Taschner reached his pitch limit and had to exit the game. He did so by walking around the infield to embrace each of his teammates.
Mejia reached second on a wild pitch and then stole third. He would have scored easily on a hard-hit ball by Marquez, but Roswell’s defense rose to the occasion once again and got Marquez by half a step at first for the final out.
The team’s three wins since Friday’s opening round equate to one of the most successful postseason runs ever by a Little League majors team from Santa Fe. The state tournament was founded in 1957 and only one other Santa Fe club team has won more games; the 1996 entrant from Santa Fe American that won the city’s only state title by running the table in four games.
The 2002 team from Santa Fe National won three times to start the tournament before losing twice in the double-elimination finals.
Played in triple-digit heat, Monday’s game showed just how much Santa Fe’s Little League talent has developed the last two years. Last season’s team ended an 18-year drought between state tournament appearances for Santa Fe.
This club, coached by Luke Cordova and consisting of 14 players, proved its staying power by hitting with consistency and playing solid defense. It also got great pitching from a collection of nine different players to take the mound since play began last weekend.
NOTES
Moving on: Just three teams are still alive. Roswell Noon Optimist heads to Tuesday’s consolation round finals against Carlsbad Shorthorn. The winner advances to the finals on Wednesday against Albuquerque’s powerful Eastdale Little League.
Dating to the year after Santa Fe American’s state championship run,
15 of the last 23 state titles have gone to either Eastdale or Carlsbad Shorthorn.