WE HAVE LIFTOFF
Rockets end 25-year title drought with win over Academy
Goddard baseball coach Alan Edmonson said numerous times in the lead-up to the 5A state baseball final that he wasn’t thinking about what happened the previous three years.
Did anyone really believe him?
“I can tell you with all honesty, I have woken up in the middle of the night wondering how the heck did that happen,” Edmonson said, referencing losses the past three seasons in the 5A state finals — all by one run. “I think this will maybe help me bury the hatchet.”
Playing what Goddard senior third baseman Justin Miller called “dirtbag baseball,” the Rockets ended a 25-year drought between state titles by toppling Albuquerque Academy 10-3 in the 5A final Saturday afternoon at Isotopes Park.
Miller summed up what dirtbag baseball is to Goddard (25-6).
“We’re relentless. We’ll go that extra 90 feet (on the base paths). We’ll dive for balls,” Miller said.
“If we break a leg doing it, we break a leg.” Fortunately, no bones were broken, although the Rockets likely broke Albuquerque Academy’s spirit by scoring at least one run in each of the first four innings, then adding four runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin of victory.
The Chargers (23-8) were seeking a second state championship in three years, and they were buoyed by a 5-2 win over Goddard in an early-season tournament at Rio Rancho.
After Albuquerque Academy’s Michael Martinez singled to drive in T.J. Kim to make it 1-1, Goddard used that extra 90-feet mentality to reclaim the advantage.
Matt Shanor reached on a two-out fielder’s choice, and it appeared he was in trouble when Chargers pitcher Sebastian Baca threw over to first while Shanor was leaning toward second base.
Shanor hustled down to second base as Chargers first baseman Derek Purcella threw to second for what should have been the third out of the inning.
Instead, Chargers shortstop Nick Williams and second baseman Joe Saiz both stopped short of second base as the ball sailed into left field. Academy left fielder Markus Parrish slightly bobbled the ball, allowing Shanor to score without incident.
“Coach preaches that 90 feet means everything, and maybe 90 (extra) feet was the reason we lost those three previous years,” said Goddard senior outfielder Ethan Coombes.
Coombes ignited Goddard’s offense from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. Cal Villareal was 4-for-4 with two runs scored.
Villareal, who has been a part of the three previous state championship losses, pitched a complete-game victory, striking out three and scattering 11 hits.
“Yeah, we were definitely thinking about the last three years, and it was a lot of pressure to finally get this win,” Villareal said. “We finally got over the hump after being so close.”
Chargers designated hitter T.J. Kim was 3-for-4 with a run scored, and Michael Martinez had two hits and one RBI.
Albuquerque Academy scored two runs in the top of the fifth to close to 6-3, but Goddard answered back emphatically with four runs in the bottom of the frame.
Miller crushed a double to left field to drive in two runs, capping the uprising and extending the lead back to seven runs.
Chargers coach Andy Williams had no comment after his team’s loss except to congratulate Goddard on its championship win.
Edmonson, though, said this win was for the entire Goddard baseball community — past, present and future.
“This is for all of the guys that came before this team and for all of the guys coming up through the program,” he said. “We lost some great seniors last year that you can’t replace, but we found five guys this year that helped us get here, and we finally got the job done.”