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St. Michael’s state baseball wrap

Kudos to the St. Michael’s baseball team that won district, gained the Final Four of the 4A state championships and put together a 19-12 record

Horsemen graduate four seniors and look forward to next season under new head coach Augustin Ruiz

Arnie Leshin

By Arnie Leshin, Santa Fe Today

It was an up-and-down season, but a good one, for the St. Michael’s baseball team.

It was a roller coaster ride that stopped Friday afternoon at the 4A state- championship semifinals at University New Mexico’s Santa Ana Star Field.

It was the Final Four that followed the Horsemen’s District 2 title. It left behind the pressure of last Saturday’s necessary doubleheader comeback after 14th seeded Cobre won game one on Friday in Santa Fe.

But it also ended with a tough 4-3 loss to 2nd seeded Portales, the eventual winner over top-seeded Albuquerque Hope Christian, 7-4, in the Saturday final at Isotopes Park.

But these Horsemen nearly made it there. They had won some close ones and lost some close ones during the season. And this time it appeared that 3rd seeded St. Michael’s was in good shape to down the Rams.

It held a 3-1 as Portales batted in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jason Romero, one of only four Horsemen seniors, was working well on the mound, shut down the Rams’ power. He had a shutout going into the fifth and had retired six straight batters. He retired the side in the sixth and had thrown 75 pitching heading into the final frame.

But Portales struck quickly when lead-off man Darion Ontiveros singled and Emilio Lovato to doubled. Next, Romero gave up a single to Alvin Galvin and the score was now tied when both runners scored.

Then freshman Eric Romero, Eric’s brother, attempted to field a bunt but threw the ball into right field to put runners at second and third, and still no out. Rams’ pitcher Joe Ortega then ended it with a fly ball down the left field line and it was time for his team to take a deep breath and celebrate.

And a time for St. Michael’s first-year head coach Augustin Ruiz to realize what a wonderful season it was. Not bad to win district. Not bad to having to win two to get to the quarterfinals. Not bad giving Portales (24-7) such a tough contest, and it knew it.

The Horsemen finished at 19-11. With the exception of Eric Romero, they return all of their key pitchers — Seth Latham, Jude Mondragon, Jose Delgado. They return Aiden Gantt, Raul Lopez, Derek Roybal, Jonah Baca, Eduardo Candelas, and starting catcher Marcus Leyba.

And Coach Ruiz who did a masterful job in his first time with this program. Prior to this, he also succeeded in the same role at Pecos.

Here’s the road St. Michael’s took. It began the season with a 3-1 loss to 5A St. Pius X, then won one, lost one, won one, lost one, and then ran off four wins in a row. But three-straight defeats made the scene before Ruiz’ team won five of its next six, then dropped two in a row before clinching district and then surviving Cobre, not exactly a 14th seeded team.

In the quarters, they came from behind to squeak out a 9-8 triumph over 6th seeded Bernalillo. Then came the heart-breaking setback to Portales. The Horsemen played 10 one-run games, winning seven of them.

Fact, it’s best to win it all, but better to finish in the Final Four than the quarterfinals, and of course the first round. And it’s right to look forward to next season.

. . . In 3A, top-seeded Texico (25-3) cruised to the state title after a dominating season in which it scored 331 runs and allowed 61. In going 8-0 in district, it outscored the rest, 128-12. It topped it all off by routing Capitan, 20-3, in the final. In the Wolverines’ four games at state, they won 16-0, 11-2, and 20-2 in the semis.

They won twice during the season over 4A champion Portales and twice over 4A 5th-seed New Mexico Military Institute, plus three times over district rival Santa Rosa, the 2nd seeded, and also 5A 6th seeded St. Pius X.

They finished the campaign with 12-straight wins. They lost to Raton, 1-0, and twice to Lubbock Christian from Texas, both by one run.

Oh, Texico graduated only one senior, something that doesn’t fare well for the other schools, even the team manager is a freshman.

. . . In 5A, it was 2nd seeded Goddard turning back 4th seeded Albuquerque Academy, 10-3, in the final. Goddard first swept city-rival Roswell in the opening round, while top-seeded Alamogordo lost 2-1 to 8th seeded Miyamura.

. . . In 6A, top-seeded Albuquerque La Cueva, winner of more state baseball titles than any team in the state, won yet another with its 10-4 victory over 2nd seeded Rio Rancho Cleveland in the final.

Now the question is, what would Texico do against the larger schools? Well, ask Portales, NMMI. St. Pius X what can happen when you run into a Wolverine in the regular season.

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