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Home / Sports News / St. Michael’s baseball team chili-hot with its fourth-straight win, 8-1, at Santa Fe Indian School Wednesday, and has moved into third place as it plays today’s doubleheader at Raton

St. Michael’s baseball team chili-hot with its fourth-straight win, 8-1, at Santa Fe Indian School Wednesday, and has moved into third place as it plays today’s doubleheader at Raton

By Arnie Leshin 
Arnie Leshin

As the stretch run begins for surging St. Michael’s baseball team, every District 2-3A game is important, and today it’s the doubleheader at Raton.

 

The Tigers are 2-7 in district, 3-15 overall, and were beaten soundly, 11-1, in the previous meeting against the Horsemen. But that’s history, and now St. Michael’s head coach Augustin Ruiz only has today on his mind.

 

“We’ve got to take one game at a time,” he said, “and right now it’s Raton. Then we can concentrate on the make-up game at Robertson, and the two at home against Prep.”

 

The important 8-1 win at Santa Fe Indian School Wednesday was the fourth-straight for a team that lost its first two district starts, than dropped to fifth

place in district, and is now in third place, one-half game behind West Las Vegas, which lost two of three to the Horsemen and would lose a possible tiebreaker.

 

Overall, St. Michael’s has climbed to 12-8-1 after being 8-8-1, and is 6-3-1 in district play. The 3-3 tie took place at Robertson and was called in the eighth inning because of darkness. So the teams will take the field again on Tuesday. The regular-season closer will be at home to last place Santa Fe Prep (0-9, 2-9).

 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals (7-1-1, 13-6-1) have a key game today at cross town rival West Las Vegas (6-3, 11-6). Then they get a doubleheader visit from Indian School Saturday, and conclude against Prep, who they claimed a  pair of 1-0 forfeits in the previous doubleheader.

 

That’s it. While the Horsemen are now in the hunt for the state tournament, they can take over the top spot in district by sweeping these last five games and Robertson loses twice, with the Tuesday make-up the key.

 

As for the vital win over Indian School, junior right-hander Eric Romero went the distance, allowing four hits, and his team avenged the earlier defeat to senior righty James Bridges, who went 6 2/3 innings back on April 6 and stymied St. Michael’s, 6-1. This time he lasted 2 2/3 frames and his best pitch, the fastball, didn’t hamper the Horsemen this time as they managed six of their 15 hits against him.

 

The main damage came in the top of the second when St. Michael’s sprayed three-straight singles to all parts of the field, and a double followed to bring

a 4-0 lead. The margin increased to 6-0 in the third, and Romero did his part in a quality start. He gave up a harmless single in each of the next three innings, and the home side never threatened.

 

Ruiz, in his second season at the helm, is happy that his team has found its way, but said he’s focused on a strong finish after a dismal start.

 

“We’re going to keep the pressure on our guys,” he said, “just by continuing to practice them hard.”

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