Raiders off Kings in high-scoring series opener
Off the bat it looked like Kofa senior Ari Ortega’s blooper the shallow rightcenter field might drop, which would bring the game-tying run across the plate and move the potential winning run into scoring position.
But Cibola center fielder JJ Martinez came racing in, and in a full-speed sprint was able to make a basket-style catch — a game-saving catch.
That play, which came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of Tuesday night’s game at Kofa, gave the Raiders a 10-9 victory in the first of three meetings between the 6A Southern region rivals this week.
“Night games at Kofa, you never know what’s going to happen,” Cibola coach Larsen Jones said of what he was thinking watching Ortega’s fly ball sail into no-man’s land. “You don’t know until it’s in the glove.”
CHS: 8-4 AIA, 1-2 region KHS: 5-6 AIA, 0-0 region
“I was hoping (it’d drop),” Kofa coach Richy Leon added. “I could see it going down, but I mean, Martinez is a heck of an athlete, he’s a good player, so I’m not surprised he got to it.”
Martinez’s catch prevented Cibola from blowing what was at one point a 9-5 lead in the sixth, and stood at 10-7 entering the bottom of the seventh.
Cibola senior David Cuadros, who came on to close in place of starter Martin Franco with one out in the bottom of the sixth, retired two of the first four Kings he faced in the bottom of the seventh. But with two down and runners on first and second, Kofa senior catcher Allen Andrade prolonged the game with a run-scoring single.
Then, a passed ball allowed junior Daniel Ruiz to score and Andrade to move to third. After senior Alexis Torres drew a walk to put the winning run on base, Ortega lifted his fly ball toward the outfield grass.
“I just thought Roman (Valenzuela) our right fielder was going to get it,