An extra-special win
Academy goes 8 innings for victory
One way or another, Jon Saiz was determined to touch home plate without a controversy.
His uniform, covered in dirt, was a testament to his dogged pursuit.
The Albuquerque Academy sophomore had been tagged out at home plate not once but twice during Tuesday afternoon’s District 5-5A extrainning showdown at St. Pius.
The first time, he clearly was out, though the Chargers argued otherwise.
The second time, he appeared to be in ahead of a tag — but was called out, anyway. The Chargers argued some more.
In the top of the eighth inning, Saiz swiped home plate with two outs, and visiting Academy had a dramatic 3-2 victory, plus the outright lead in its district.
“I just wanted to get the winning run for our team,” said Saiz, the Chargers’ lightning-quick leadoff batter. “We deserved it.”
Saiz’s speed set up the entire eighth inning for Academy (16-6, 6-1 in 5-5A).
His slowly-hit chopper up the third base line produced a leadoff single, setting in motion events that would doom the Sartans (12-10, 5-2).
St. Pius sophomore starting pitcher Mitch Buffett was consumed with Saiz at first, throwing over no fewer than eight times during the next two at-bats. The Sartans even had Saiz leaning twice and had him picked off, but the tag was too slow in coming.
Eventually, Saiz forced Buffett (5-2) into a throwing error, and he scooted to second base. A fly out moved Saiz along another 90 feet, although there were now two outs.
“My coach wants me to be aggressive on the base paths,” Saiz said. “Those are the things that win ballgames.”
St. Pius intentionally walked Seth Jones to put runners at first and third, bringing up Zeke Long.
Long was a pitch from being struck out when Academy coach Andy Williams had Jones take off from first, in an obvious attempt to rattle young Buffett.
The ploy worked. Rather than let Jones swipe a completely meaningless base, Buffett stepped off the rubber and tried to throw him out at second.
“I would rather (our pitcher) just let them have the base,” a disappointed St. Pius coach Marc Hilton said.
Buffett’s ill-fated decision — the younger brother of an Academy grad, Tyler Buffett, he was otherwise outstand- ing Tuesday — opened the door for Saiz to take off from third. This time, he beat the throw home.
“Jon is one of those guys who definitely gets in people’s heads when he’s on base,” Williams said.
Long, the hard-throwing Academy ace who didn’t throw in the Chargers’ earlier district doubleheader against St. Pius, entered in relief of Jake Wyly in the bottom of the third with St. Pius leading 2-1.
Long (3-0) surrendered just three hits in six innings of relief, and retired the final 12 Sartans in a row.
“These are the games we live for,” Long said, “the rivalry games.”